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CHRISTIANITY 



IN 



THE WAR. 



CONTAINING 

\N ACCOUNT OF THE SUFFERINGS, CONVERSIONS, PRAYERS, DYING 

REQUESTS, LAST WORDS, AND DEATHS OF SOLDIERS AND 

OFFICERS IN THE HOSPITAL, CAMP, PRISON, AND ON 

THE BATTLE-FIELD. ALSO, AN ACCOUNT OF 

DISTINGUISHED CHRISTIAN MEN AND 

THEIR LABORS IN THE WAR. 



A. S. 'BILLINGSLEY,C^ 



Late Chaplain U. S. Ai'my. 



'\(..,N#r/^. 



"Stand by the Flag, and cling to the Cross." 

E. M. Schneider, 57 Mass. Vol. 

PROFUSELY ILLUSTRATED. 



€%^% 






PHILADELPHIA: 
CLAXTON, REMSEN & HAFFELFINGER, 

819 & 821 MARKET STREET. 

187 2. 






Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1871, by 

CLAXTDN. REMSEN k HAFFELFINGER, 

iu tlie Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 

STEREOTYPED BY J. FAGAN i SOX, PHILADELPHIA. 



%Q \\\t 3l|fiHorit 



OF THE 

DEPARTED SOLDIERS, SAILORS AND OFFICERS OF THE 
UXIOiS", WHO FOUGHT, BLED, AND DIED FOR THEIR 
COUNTRY; AND IN HONOR OF THE SURVIVING 
SOLDIERS, SAILORS, AND OFFICERS WHO 
FOUGHT AND SUFFERED IN QUELL- 
ING THE LATE REBELLION, 



flu. look 



IS GRATEFULLY INSCRIBKD AND HEARTILY DEDICATED 

BY THE AUTHOR. 



LIST or ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Abraham Lincoln . . . , 15 

Bombardment of Fort Sumter 16 

v'«,EV. James Marshall, U. S. Army 42 

^ " E. P. Roe, U. S. Army 59 

^Chesapeake Hospital 78 

/Hampton Hospital 92 

^Hospital Scene 119 

^U. S. Grant 127 

Maj.-Gen'l W. S. Rosecrans 175 

J. A. Logan 175 

" Alfred H. Terry 175 

L" W. T. Sherman 175 
" John Sedgwick 175 
rig.-Gen'l N. Lyon 175 

Naval Combat of the Monitor and Merrimac . . . 205 

. Rear-Admiral S. F. Dupont 205 

^ " A. H. FoOTE . .205 

(Com, David D. Porter 205 

vLiEUT. John L. Warden 205 

Uncle Jacob 235 

Maj.-Gen'l B. F. Butler . : 309 

" Joseph Hooker 809 

W. S. Hancock 309 

"^ " Geo. G. Meade 309 

I « G H. Thomas 309 

i^ " P. H. Sheridan 309 

'National Cemetery, Fortress Monroe, Va 314 

Rev. p. D. Gurley, D. D 334 

v£)eath of President Lincoln 336 

'^Funeral Obsequies of President Lincoln .... 338 

4iaj.-Gen'l O. O. Howard .342 

,Rev. Bishop Mat. Simpson, D.D. 346 

"^ Admiral David Glascoe Farragut 352 

'George H. Stuart. Esq 364 

Rev. Henry Ward Beecher ....'.... 382 

Illustrations Nos. 5, 6, 7, and 20, are taken from Harper's Magazine. 

iii 



PREFACE. 



rj^IIE late war was one of the greatest conflicts that ever stained 
J- the historic page. Involving the life of the nation and the 
great question of man's self-government, its results will very ma- 
terially affect the progress of Christianity and the destiny of the 
world for generations to come. When we look at the extent, the 
duration, and the severity of the mighty struggle, the number 
of men engaged, the number of lives lost, and the glorious vic- 
tory achieved, for awfulness, grandeur, and glory, it excels all 
modern warfare. 

And as such a war occurs only once in an age, it is well to 
have its history recorded as fully as possible. And although it 
has already given rise to a great many books, — yet, as those 
already issued relate more particularly to the cause, rise, and 
])rogress of the Rebellion, and the great sacrifice and mighty up- 
rising of the North in putting it down, together with the military 
genius and heroic achievements of great generals and officers, — 
there seems to be a demand for another, giving a more detailed 
account of the sufferings, piety, and heroism of the private soldier 
and patient in the hosipital. Thus far there seems to be a ten- 
dency in the historian to ascribe too much honor and glory to the 
officer, and too little to the private soldier. There were, doubt- 
less, among the rank and file of the late Union army and navy 
many unhwicn heroes, -whose piety, worth, and heroism deserve 
to be written on leaves more durable than brass; men whose 
sagacity, courage, and military genius, if fully developed, would 
to-day shine as bright in the galaxy of military glory as many 
of those whose names will go down to posterity crowned with 
glory and honor. Now, to record some of the sufferings, hard- 
ships, prayers, conversions, sayings, and dying messages of the 

V 



VI PEEFACE. 

Patient in the Hospital and of the Captive in the Prison, and to 
aid a little in giving the Private Soldier the honor due him in 
the great conflict for our national preservation, and to comfort 
the soldier's bereaved mother, widowed wife, and orphaned child, 
is the object of this little book. Laboring for a long while in the 
United States General Hospital, Fortress Monroe, Va., one of 
the largest in the country during the war, and visiting daily from 
seven hundred to nine hundred patients, canvassing the hearts of 
the worst cases and noting down their religious experience as 
they gave it in their own words, the writer had a fine opportu- 
nity of becoming acquainted with the general character and 
moral condition of our soldiery. 

We have written out but a very small proportion of the 
number of patients visited whose spiritual diagnosis we recorded 
in our diary ; but in making our selections we have taken some 
from all classes, so that the reader can see at a glance the general 
moral character of the American soldier. Thus furnished with 
the materials, at the request of friends the author now sends 
forth to the M'orld this little volume, with the hoi)e that it may 
be a source of comfort to the soldier's bereaved friend, praying 
that it may lead some wandering soul, who has so long borne his 
country's flag, to take up and bear the Cross of Christ. 
New Brighton, Pa. 



CONTETS^TS. 



INTRODUCTORY. 



PAas 



Tour to tlie Rocky Mountains — The Devil Outflanked — "The Biggest 
Gun ever Fired in America" — Plucking Flowers and Making Snow- 
balls at the Same Time — Gathering up the Lost Sheep — Preaching to 
Colorado Volunteers — Late Papers "go off like Hot Cakes" — The 
Mighty Struggle waxes Hotter — Going to the Army — Visiting and 
Bidding Good-bye to Friends — Touching at Pittsburg and Baltimore, 
We enjoyed a very Pleasant Foretaste of Army and Hospital Life at 
Washington, Fortress Monroe, and Newborn — Another Sail brought 
us to Plymouth . . . . . . . .17 

CHAPTER I. 

ENTERING THE SERVICE. 

Arrival at Plymouth — Found our Regiment, the 101st Pa. Vol., comfort- 
ably Housed — The Garrison Hungry for the Gospel — Christmas Ser- 
mon — Big Turn-out — The Rebels Captured and Drove us off . .21 

CHAPTER II. 

SKETCHES OF SOLDIERS AND OFFICERS. 

A Fort-Fisher Hero — A Heroic Soldier: " I Don't Backslide" — "Jesus 
is All I Want " — "Stand by the Flag, and Cling to the Cross" — "All is 
Well!" — A Soldier's Farewell — Capt. Tresouthick — Lieut. Ransom: 
His Dying Prayer and " Glory to God" — Capt. Fee: His Request, 
"Please Pray for Me" — A Rolling Chaplain — "You Saved My Life" 

— A Dying Soldier's Letter — Lieut. Merrill : Baptized at l\Iidnight — 
The Dying Captain: " Hurrah for Jesus." By Chaplain Marshall. . 22 

CHAPTER III. 

SKETCHES OF SOLDIERS. 

"When I go into Battle, I put Jesus in Front" — A Hero of Plymouth: 
"I will Fall right into His Arms" — "Jesus is Precious to Me Now" 

— "Why did You Call Me back?" — "1 don't Fear Nothin' at all " — 

vii 



Vlll CONTEXTS. 

PAGE 

" The World is Hollow and Empty " — "I came out to Conquer or Die" — 
" They left Me for Dead "— " Good-bye, Old Arm ! "— " Put the Bright 
Side out to Mother," he said, as he died — " Ob, if I only could ! " — 
"I am Happy, Day and Night" — Value of the Union: "Pray, Labor, 
Fight for it." ........ 46 

CHAPTER IV. 

THE FALL OF PLYMOUTH. 

The Rebels Attack Us, April 17, 1864 — The Garrison numbered about 
Nineteen Hundred Men fit for Duty — Excitement Great — Alarmed 
Women fled to Me, crying, "Come and Pray for Mel" "Come in and 
Pray for Us!" — The Army and Navy both Engage at once — The 
Scene was Grand, Awful, Sublime — Rebel Iron-clad attacks our Gun- 
boats — Fight Severe — Lieut. Flusser Killed — The Garrison Overawed 
by the Rebel Ram — "The Combat Deepens " — "In the Last Ditch " — 
Hard Fighting — The Capture — Gen. Wessels Surrenders — Massacre 
at Plymouth — Visiting the Wounded — Preached in a Rebel Hospital — 
Prayed for a Rebel Soldier. . . . . . .63 

CHAPTER V. 

GOING TO LIBBY. 

Order: "Be Ready to Start for Richmond To-morrow Morning at Four" 
— Sail up the Roanoke to Halifax — Take Cars — Enter Libby with Loud 
Shouts of " Fresh Fish ! Fresh Fish ! " — They took our Money — Life 
in Libby — All Sorts of Things going on — Very Hard Place — Preach 
to the Prisoners — Big Congregation — Visited the Hospital — Not 
Allowed to Preach to the Sick — Released — Farewell to Libby — The 
Exchange — AVe Cheered the Dear Old Flag — Rebels Handle our Men 
very Roughly — Belle Isle — U. S. General Hospital, Annapolis, Md. — 
Labors in, etc. . . . . . . . .71 

CHAPTER VI. 

V. S. GENERAL HOSPITAL, FORTRESS MONROE, VA. 

Location Fine — Buildings Splendid — Chesapeake Hospital — Bethesdian 
Chapel — Interesting Meetings — Reading-Room and Library for Pa- 
tients — Hampton Hospital, Organized 1862 — Head-Quarters — "New 
Camp" — Contraband Hospital — All Consolidated into One General 
Hospital in 1864 — Called by the Above Name — Disbanded in March, 
1866 — Managed by Dr. Eli McClellan, Assistant Surgeon U. S. A. — 
Hospital Garden — Very Extensive — Twenty-five Thousand Head of 
Cabbage — Hospital Hennery — Camp Distribution — Soldiers came 
and went by Thousands — Chaplain Marshall Preached to Them by 
Night — Military Prison — Preaching to the Spirits in Prison — Gan- 



CONTENTS. IX 

PAGE 

grene Csinip — Interesting Scenes — "None but Christ" — Arrival of 
Patients: from Two Hundred to Eight Hundred a Day — Transferring 
Patients — Voyage to New York with a Load of Patients — Big Job 
for the Chaplain — A Patient Ivissed my Hand — A Weeping Mother 
and Hard-hearted Surgeon — " All Fast on the Potomac." . . 79 

CHAPTER VII. 

THE RELKilOUS WORK AT HAHPTOX HOSPITAL. 

The Harvest, Great and White — The Prayer-Hall— No Church — Sol- 
diers' Earnest Prayers and Eloquent Exhortations — It was the Elo- 
quence of the Heart Melting All into Tears — Ward Prayer-Meetings — 
Interest Increasing — The Power of Prayer — Soldiers' Prayer-Meeting 
— Bush Prayer-Meetings — Preaching to Men on their Death-Beds — 
" The Last Morning." . . . . . . ,93 

CHAPTER VIII. 

WRITING LETTERS FOR THE PATIENTS. 

A Dying Soldier's Letter to his Brother — Solemn — His Will — "Yours 
in Death " — " Letters of Death " — "I am Ready " — Letters from the 
Bereaved: No. 1. The Bereaved Wife — No. 2. The Bereaved Brother — 
No. 3. The Weeping Widow — No. 4. The Dying Husband's Letter to 
His Wife — No. 5. A Weeping Southern Family — Canvassing Patients' 
Hearts — Diagnosis of the Whole Hospital — "Oh, Chaplain, Stay, and 
Talk to Me more about Jesus!" — "Before I would cry, 'Fort Pillow, 
and Let 'em have itl '" — "Save Me, Lord! Save Me, Lord! " . . 107 

CHAPTER IX. 

THE WOMEN OF THE HOSPITAL. 

Their Valuable Services highly Appreciated by the Patients — Chesapeake 
Hospital well Supplied — Here Mrs. Mary B. Dully was Directress and 
Head of Sanitai-y Department — "She did what she Could" — Miss 
Amos, of Baltimore, Kind, Faithful, and True — Mrs. Chaplain E. P. 
Roe — "She went about Doing Good" — Mrs. Meecham and Many 
Others did Likewise — Mrs. Carver, with her Tent, Cooking-Stove, and 
Provisions, did much for the Patients — Mrs. Mary Alexander — Plain, 
Earnest, Heroic, Loved the Soldiers Ardently — "Bury Me with Them 
when I Die." . . , . . . . .118 

CHAPTER X. 

SKETCHES OF SOLDIERS. 

"Past Feeling'' — Patchwoi-k won't do for Eternity — "Jesus Saved Me 
Twice" — " I Never Forget My Saviour " — The Blind Exhorter — "I 
have very Sweet Communion with God" — His Death — Letter from 



X CONTENTS. 

PAOB 

His Wife — Corporal John Creed, 23d 111., Co. B — Honored for His 
Bravery— ^Soldiers Die Clinched — Courage of Pompey — Joy an Ele- 
ment of Strength — Ananias Montgomery — "He had a Ball in His 
Side, and God in His Heart" — "I Feel Happy" — The Backslider — 
" I Lost My Religion " — " Now I am Miserable " — George H. Vanloan 

— "I do Love Him" — "It would be Hard to Live in the Army without 
Religion " — The Fixed Heart — "I Pray Often " — "I do Feel Happy " 

— "I am Too Wiclced for That"— "I Swear a Great Deal" — "I Can't 
Pray " — " It 's Too Late " — "I am a Great Sinner " — "I Have Given 
Up " — " It is Better to Die " — " I am Willing to Go " — " All is Well " 

— Midnight Calls — " Chaplain, I Feel Most Awful ! " . . 124 

CHAPTER XI. 

SCENES IN ANDERSONVILLE. 

The Prison — Its Condition — Cruel Treatment — " Can this be Hell?" — 
Prisoners' Awful Condition — Mortality One Hundred and Fifty a Day 

— Apathy of U. S. Government toward Them — Hundreds Died of 
Broken Hearts — Many went Deranged, and turned Maniacs — A 
School and Church there Now — " The Dead-Line " — Execution of Union 
Prisoners — Band of Robbers and Murderers — Six Tried, and Con- 
demned to be Hung — Awful Tragic Scene — They Expected to the Last 
to Escape — The Crisis of Andersonville — Murder will Out — Patriotism 
in Andersonville — " I would rather have Died a Dozen Deaths" — " I 
am not Sorry that I Enlisted " — Your Patriotism never Dies: "It is 
Stronger than Death" — Died Praying for Victory — Andersonville 
Hospital: an Awful Place — No Beds but Bare Ground — Rations — 
Diet — Enlarged — The Food would Produce Disease among Swine — 
The Moonlight Prayer-Meeting — Religion Sweetens the Bitterest Cup. 151 

CHAPTER XII. 

THE EXCHANGE. 

Long Looked for — Many Exchanging Time for Eternity — They Cheer 
the Old Flag — " It never Seemed so Dear " — They Wept Profusely — 
Rejoicing — Sung the "Battle-Cry of Freedom" — What a Happy, 
Grateful Crowd — Furloughed Home Thirty Days — The Departure — 
"Be Ready to Depart" — Filled with Rejoicing — They Cried "Thank 
God ! Thank God ! " — " The Year of Jubilee is Come " — Loud Shouts 
of Joy burst from Thousands — Farewell, Andersonville — Sad Disap- 
pointment — It was no Exchange : Only a Ptemoval — "Hope Deferred 
maketh the Heart Sick." ....... 164 

CHAPTER XIII. 

ANDERSONVILLE CEMETERY. 

Contains Fifty Acres — Thirteen Thousand and Seven Hundred and Five 
Graves — Who are the Dead? — What did They Suffer? — How did 



CONTENTS. XI 

PAQS 

They Die? — As They Lived and Fought — The First Prisoners Buried 
There — The Last One — The Stars and Stripes Wave over Them — 
Captain Wirz — His Birth — Entering the Rebel Army — Promoted for 
His Cruelties to the Prisoners — Proven Guilty of Conspiracy against 
the United States — "I vi'ill give you Bullets for Bread" — He Shot a 
Prisoner — " Oh, do Let Me Down ! " — His Last Days — Found Guilty — 
Received Sentence to be Hung very Coolly — Attended by the Priest — 
No Signs of Sorrow — His Execution — Hurries to the Gallows — The 
Closing Scene ........ 169 

CHAPTER XIV. 

SKETCHES OF SOLDIERS. 
" My Heart is so Hard, I Can't Pray " — Converted on the Field of Battle — 
"I Went to Church Cursing, and Came away Praying" — "I Can't Get 
Religion" — "I Can't Help but Pray" — A Hero of Andersonville 
Saved by His Wife — A Boat-Load of Andersonville Prisoners — "Con- 
verted on Picket by Two Men Talking to Me " — "I am Resolved to 
Quit Swearing" — Died Calling to the Chaplain to Pray for Him — "I 
am Ready to Die " — " Tell Them I am Happy " — " Converted through 
a Sister's Letters " — "If I go to Hell, I will go Praying" — " Prayer 
is a Great Privilege " — " Oh, that I had Ventured Before ! " — "I am 
Guilty of Everything but Theft and Murder" — "I Expect to g»t Re- 
ligion when I get Home" — Bleeding to Death, yet" Resting on 
Christ" — "Praying for Sport" — "I Gave My Heart to Jesus" — 
"Christ is Everything to Me " — " My Sins are Great and Heavy " — 
"Satan is Often at My Heels"— James Ward, 81st N. Y., Co. 1— A 
Soldier's Creed — "I See so much Bad Christianity, I am Discouraged " 
— "Jesus is Still Precious" — "I Still Hold on to God" — "I Pray 
much in Battle" — A Soldier with Seven Wounds — "lean Afford to 
Suffer" — A Happy, Shouting Soldier — "I would Like to be a Chris- 
tian, if I Could Keep It" — "I Can't Live without Prayer" — "The 
Lord is Mine " — "I Can't Pray " — "I Found Jesus " — "I Leave it all 
with the Lord" — A Swearer Brought to Tears. . . . IIS 

CHAPTER XV. 

SKETCHES OF SOLDIERS — COXTINUED. 
The Bomb-Proof Prayer-Meeting — "Are You Ready to Go?" — Little 
Lizzie's Letter — " I Prayed in the Street" — "I Love Everybody" — 
"I Have no Fear" — Sergeant James Tustison: "I am Dying, But I 
am very Happy " — "I have Got It!" — Satan Repulsed by Prayer — 
" Hell Seems to be Gaping for Me " — "I am Happy in the Lord " — 
" Converted in the Army through Sin " — " Do You Trust in the Lord ? " — 
" Urge Him to Come to Jesus " — " Thank God for My Wound " — Ser- 
geant Dwight Kneeland: " My Work is Done " — Died Calling for the 
Chaplain — "Just as God Wishes" — "Tell My Mother I Died Happy" — 
"It is Easier to Serve Satan" — "I am Better in the Army than at 
Home " — William J. Johnson, 142d N. Y., Co. D — "All is Well" — 



Xn CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

" Old Jacob," the Grave-Digger — " The Bible Better than Greenbacks ' 
— "Somehow It Worked upon Me" — "God Still Sticks to Me" — "0 
Chaplain, What Will I Do?" — "I anion the Devil's Side " — " Pray 
for Me, Chaplain, till I Die: " His Bereaved Wife's Letter — "I would 
as soon Go to My Heavenly Home " — "I am Too Wicked to Come to 
Jesus " — " God Grabbed Me into His Heart at Once " — "I Prayed on, 
and God Changed My Heart" — "The Devil Coaxed Me Off." . .210 

CHAPTER XVI. 

EXTRACTS FROM THE AUTHOR'S DIARY. 

Preaching in the Wards — A Melting Prayer-Meeting — Hospital Church 

Organized — Church Creed — A Weeping Scene at the Grave — The 

Naked Heart — Mortality Increasing — "Try Again" — A Soldier's 

Prayer-Meeting — Catholics Turning Protestants — Christmas Dinner 

— Holidays in U. S. Hospital — Week of Prayer — The Lord's Supper 

— Revival in Hospital. ....... 256 

CHAPTER XVn. 

MISCELLANEOUS FACTS. 
Celebration of Washington's Birthday — Religious Interest in New Camp — 
Soldiers' Entertainment — The Fall of Pachmond — Unbounded Rejoic- 
ing — Lee's Surrender — Death of President Lincoln — Largest Inter- 
ment — Dedication of New Hospital Chapel — Arrival of Fort Fisher 
Wounded. . . . . . . . . .279 

CHAPTER XVin. 

BOMBARDMENT OF FORT FISHER. 
The Wounded Arrive at the Hospital — They are very Jubilant — Admiral 
Porter Commands the Fleet— "The World never Saw such Fighting " 

— The Scene Awfully Grand and Sublime — Great Slaughter of Sailors 

— Awful Hand-to-Hand Fight for Hours — The Surrender — Buoyant 
Wounded from Richmond — Dying that the Nation might Live — Hos- 
pital Variety Monotonous — Desire to go Home. . . . 288 

CHAPTER XIX. 

L I X C O L N ' S FUNERAL. 
Lincoln's Funeral — Deep Feeling: Solemn, Impressive — The Author's 
Address at the Funeral — Sudden Change from Rejoicing to Weeping — 
His Death a Loss to the Entire World — National Grief Unspeakable — 
His -Character — The Great Emancipator and Friend of the Slave — 
Self- Made — The Saviour of His Country — Religious Character: 
Brought up to Pray, and Read the Bible — His Last Request: "Pray 
for Me " — "I Leave Myself, my Country, and All in the Hands of God." 294 

CHAPTER XX. 

THE STREAM OF DEATH. 
The First Soldiers Killed in the War — Rebel Cruelty to the Dead- 



CONTE^'TS. XUl 

PA<1E 

Death of Col. Baker — Gen. Lyon's Bravery and Death — Death in the 
Mississippi Valley and on the Peninsula — Removal of Gen. McClellan 

— Gen. Rosecrans' Bravery at Stone River — "The Bloodiest Battle of 
the War " — The Battle of Gettysburg the Death-blow of the Rebellion 

— Gen. Grant Assumes Command in Chief — "On to Richmond" — 
Death of Gen. Sedgwick — Battle of Coal Harbor — Simultaneous 
Movement of Armies — Gen. Sherman at Atlanta — Gen. Sheridan's 
Victories in the Shenandoah Valley — Battle at Franklin, Tenn. — Gen. 
Sheridan's Stratagem at Cedar Creek — Lincoln Calls for More Volun- 
teers — Gen. Sherman Completes His " March to the Sea" — Slavery 
Abolished by Congress, .Jan. 31, I8G0 — Grant's Last "Great Strike" 

— Fall of Richmond, Flight of JefiF. Davis, and Surrender of Gen. Lee 

— Mortality During the War — The Deserter. . . , .300 

CHAPTER XXI. 

THE NATIONAL CEMETEBY AT FORTRESS MONROE, VA. 
Number of Graves — The Place of Many Prayers, Sighs, and Tears — The 
Old Man Weeping at his Son's Grave — Who are the Dead ? — How did 
They Die? — Soldiers' Dying Words — The Monument — The Inscrip- 
tion — Burying the Dead — National Cemeteries — General Summary. 3L5 

CHAPTER XXII. 

SKETCHES BY CHAPLAIN MARSHALL — THE U.S. CHRISTIAN 
COMMISSION. 
A Theatre turned into a Religious Meeting — Masses of Soldiers in Camp 
Distribution — Their Profanity — Burlesque Military Drill — The Chap- 
lain's Resolution — A Shout upon his Entrance — Theatrical Prepara- 
tions — They Black Themselves up — They Sing — Devotion Rises — 
God Helps — The Chaplain Reads, Speaks, Prays — They Sing with 
Great Power — They Visit the Reading-Room — Great Good done in a 
Short Time — "No more Swearing" — Sunday Night with the Dying — 
The Dying Sergeant sends for the Chaplain — The Weeping Father 
prays for his Dying Son — Tlie Dying Lieutenant desires to be Prayed 
for — The Dying Captain's Warm Grasp — The Friendship of Christ — 
The U. S. Christian Commission — Its Origin — Officers — First Meeting 

— Its Spirit and Zeal — Head-Quarters — Its Object — Fidelity of its 
Delegates — Its Efficiency and Contributions — Its Popularity. . 326 

CHAPTER XXIH. 
DISTINGUISHED CHRISTIAN MEN IN THE WAR. 
REV. P. D. GURLEY, D.D. 

His Birth — Pious Mother — Babyhood — Desire for the Ministry — His 
liducation — Works his own Way through Union College — His Piety 
when a Boy — Studied Theology at Princeton — His Standing in his 
Class — Graduates at Princeton, and Receives a Call to Preach in In- 
dianapolis — His Marriage — His Ordination — Successful Laboi-s — 



XIV CONTENTS. 

PAOK 

Accepts a Call to Dayton, Ohio — Leaves Dayton, and goes to Washing- 
ton, D. C. — Summoned to Lincoln's Death-Bed — Impressive Scene — 
Prays at his Death — Presides at a Meeting of the Clergy of the District 
of Columbia — Preaches at Lincoln's Funeral — Dr. Hall reads tlie 
Episcopal Burial-Service — Bishop Simpson's Opening Prayer — " Cling 
to Liberty and Right" — Composed a Hymn for the Funeral — Bishop 
Simpson's Sermon at the Grave — Dr. Gurley's Christian Character — 
His Ability in Prayer — Successful as a Minister — His Gifts — He Com- 
forts the Afflicted — His Popularity — His Death — His Rapturous 
Foretastes of Heaven — His Dying Requests to his Family and Friends 

— Last Words — Dr. Sunderland's Remarks at the Funeral — His Peo- 
ple's Affection for him. ....... 334 

OLIVER 0. HOWAED. 

His Birth — Boyhood — Early Religious Training — A Christian Gentle- 
man — He Graduates at Bowdoin College; also at West Point Academy 
in 1854 — His Patriotism — Apipointed Colonel of Third Regiment 
Maine Volunteers — Is Promoted for Bravery — Joins Army of the 
Potomac — Wounded at Battle of Fair Oaks — Had his Arm Ampu- 
tated — Returns Home the Next Day — Lectures the People, and Urges 
Them to Come to the Rescue of the Country — He Returned in Time for 
the Battles of Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Chancellors- 
ville — His Position at the Battle of Gettysburg — His Calmness in 
Battle — Is Temperate — Gen. Sherman's High Opinion of him — His 
Warm .attachment for Capt. Griffin — He Prays with him, and Bids him 
a Final Farewell — " It is the Last Time " — Appointed Commissioner 
of the Freedman's Bureau — Howard University a Monument of His 
Benevolent Efforts, ....... 343 

BISHOP SIMPSON. 

His Nativity — His Education — Enters the Ministry — His Popularity — 
Elected President of Asbury University — Elected Editor of "Western 
Christian Advocate" — His Success — Elected Bishop — His Success 
and Administration — His Patriotism and Zeal in Quelling the Rebel- 
lion — Lincoln's Trusted Friend — His Prayer at Lincoln's Funeral — 
His Preaching Abilities — His Oration at Lincoln's Grave — Powers of 
Discrimination — Delineates Lincoln's Characteristics, and Points out 
the Secret of his Power — His Style of Preaching — He Preaches Christ 

— What he Covets — His Tour to the Rocky Mountains — Intimate 
■with the Presidents of the United States — Appointed by President 
Grant to Visit San Domingo — His Present Standing, Influence, and 
Power — His Touching Peroration at Lincoln's Tomb _ . . . 346 

ADMIRAL FARRAGUT. 
A New Era in Naval Affairs — Fight between the Monitor and Merrimac — 
Progress in Destroying and Saving Man — Satan's Whetting his Sword 
should Arouse the Church — Farragut's Birth — Enters the U. S. Navy 

— His First and Second Engagements — Heroic Courage — Wounded — 
Highly Esteemed by his Commander — His Heroism Sleeps — Sails all 



CONTENTS. XV 

FAdB 

over the World — Promoted — His Loyalty — Went North — Commands 
a Naval Expedition vs. New Orleans — His Large Fleet — Captures New 
Orleans — Daring Feats in Capturing Vicksburg — His Stratagem and 
Heroism in Capturing Mobile — Lashed Himself to the Piigging of his 
Ship in Battle — Calls upon God for Help and Direction — Severe Fight 
with a Rebel Ironclad — He Whipped Her — She Surrenders — Pro- 
moted Again — His Habits — Decorating his Grave — His Prayer in the ' 
Battle of Mobile Bay — "Go Forward" — His Religious Life — Testi- 
mony of Lieut. Montgomery. ...... 353 

GEORGE H. STUART. 
Sketch of, by Dr. Wylie — His Birth — Parents — Education — Arrival in 
this Country — Religious Profession — Elected Ruling Elder — His 
Christian Zealand Liberality — Missionary Spirit — A Sabbath-school 
Worker — Suggested the National Presbyterian Convention, and Pre- 
sided over it — His Suspension from the Church — Refused a Position 
in President Grant's Cabinet — A Successful Merchant — His Natural 
Talents — Christian Character — An Expert Presiding Officer — His 
Natural Eloquence — Attractive Speaker and Successful Beggar — He 
Always Succeeds — Goes about Doing Good — His Marriage — Family 
— Personal Appearance — His Labors in the Christian Commission — 
Its Leading Spirit and President — His Qualification and Devotion to 
the Work — Secret of His Success — Distributes Books — Overcomes an 
Infidel — The People's Faith in Him — Jloney Flows in at his Asking — 
His Importunity Prevails — His Zeal to Supply the Needy Soldiers — 
His Kindness to the Rebels — Rebels Weep at Northern Kindness — His 
Fondness for Army Relics — ''His Generalship in Prayer" — He can 
always have Prayer — "An Eminent Christian at Work " — His Chris- 
tian Sagacity — His Popularity — An Eloquent Speaker — His Speech 
in England. ........ 304 

HENRY WARD BEECHER. 

His Distinguishing Traits — A Great Worker — His Style — Oratory — 
His Birth — Lost his Mother — Early Religious Impressions — Inured 
to Hardship — A Bashful, Stammering, Unpromising Boy — His Educa- 
tion — Went to School Barefooted, and Hemmed Towels at Recess — 
Fond of Flowers and Full of Jokes — Drilled in Elocution — Tired of 
School — Wishes to "Go to Sea" — Subject of a Revival — Unites 
with the Church — Naval Project Given up — Attention Turned to the 
Ministry — Enters College — Choice of Studies — Preferring Rhetoric, 
Studies to Know "What to Say," and "How to Say it" — Strictly 
Temperate — Conducts Prayer-Meetings — His Creed — Religious Im- 
pressions — Troubled — Believed — Buoyant — Teaches School — Lec- 
tures and Preaches — The Slave's^riend — Graduates — Studies Theol- 
ogy — Perplexed about Entering the Ministry — Marries — First Pas- 
toral Charge — Did Everything Himself — Moves to Indianapolis — 
Style of Preaching — His Popularity — Revival in his Church — Moves 
to Brooklyn — Visits England and Europe — Lectures in England, and, 



XYl CONTENTS. 

PAQg 

Braving all Opposition, Pleads America's Cause Successfully — His 
London Letter glowing with Joy and Gratitude to God, and Love to his 
Enemies — Impression Favorable — Affectionate Enthusiasm for him — 
His War Sermons — Oration at Fort Sumter. .... 383 

DWIGHT L. MOODY. 
Power of Individual Effort — Earnestness the Secret of Success — A 
Great Want — The Church and the World Asleep — His Birth — Lay- 
preaehing Encouraged — Paul's Great Success — Labor, Labor! — 
Moody's Early Pteligious Views — His Conversion — Joins the Congre- 
gationalists — Education Limited — His Labors Successful — A Great 
Worker in Sabbath Schools — Organized Mission Sunday School in 
Chicago — Its Growth — Started Prayer-Meetings — Labors Blessed — 
Young Men's Christian Association Begun — Daily Prayer-Meeting — 
His Trust in God for a Living — No Salary — His Active Labors in the 
Army — His Zeal at the Battle of Fort Donelson — Goes to God for 
Direction — Efiicient in Building — Calls to go Abroad — Crosses the 
Atlantic — Organized Daily Prayer-Meeting in Loudon — Labors in 
Sunday-School Convention — Successful — Deeds, not Words, a True 
Sign of Principle — His Success as an Organizer; as a Speaker; as a 
Revivalist — How to "Get up a Revival" — His Large Audiences in 
Chicago — His Popularity at Home — His Personal Influence over Others. 395 

GAERETSON I. YOUNG. 
Solemn Warning — "Be Ye also Ready!" — His Birth — Parents — Boy- 
hood — Education — A Diligent Scholar — His Academical Course at 
Calcutta, Ohio — Enters Jefferson College — Graduates — His Habits — 
Taught High School — Studies and Practises Law — Elected Probate 
Judge — A Neat Book-keeper — Marries — Early Religious Training — 
Read the Bible Daily — Joins the Episcopal Church — His Military 
Position — Labors in War Department — Resigns, and Returns Home — 
Purchased the "Buckeye State" — Edits it — His Success — Elected to 
the Ohio Legislature — His Character — Patriotic — AVinning Ways — 
Noble Traits — "lie Made Friends Fast" — His Sudden Death — Im- 
pressive Scenes at the Capitol; and at his Home — His Funeral — 
Marked Honors Paid him by the Governor and State Legislature — 
Eulogies by the Members. ...... 403 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

FAREWELL TO THE HOSPITAL. 
A Brief and Solemn Review — Number of Patients in Hospital — Average 
Daily and Total Mortality of the War — Interviews with Soldiers — 
Chaplains much Exposed to Disease — Solemn to Part — Farewell to the 
Chesapeake; to the Chapel; to the Matrons; to Hampton; to the Chap- 
lains — Farewell to the Christian Soldiers — Appeal and Farewell to the 
Impenitent — Farewell to the Dead — The Great Christian Victory — 
The Rebellion Dissected— - Source of the Victory — Munificent Gifts — 
Americans and Europeans Whetting One Another — Go Forward. . 411 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 



IXTRODUCTOEY 



Tour to the Eocky 3Iountains — The Devil Out-flanked — 
"The Biggest Gun ever Fired in America" — Plucking Flow- 
ers AND Making Snowballs at the Same Time — Gathering 
UP THE Lost Sheep — Preaching to Colorado Volunteers — 
Late Papers "go off like Hot Cakes" — The Mighty Strug- 
gle WAXES Hotter — Going to the Army — Visiting and Bid- 
ding GooD-BY TO Friends — Touching at Pittsburg and Balti- 
more, We Enjoyed a very Pleasant Foretaste of Army and 
Hospital Life at Washington, Fortress Monroe, and New- 
bern — Another Sail brought us to Plymouth. 

THE present is an eventful age — an age for intellectual 
research, discovery, scientific investigation ; and for great and 
mighty changes and revolutions in the social, moral, civil, and 
religious world, is unparalleled in the history of man. 

It is peculiarly a fast age. Kingdoms and empires now rise, 
flourish, fade, and fall, almost in a day. And the human mind 
ever on the alert in search of new truths, under the present 
march of mind, we often see old creeds and platforms give way, 
and give rise to new and better ones. Although our country has 
just emerged from a baptism of blood, and although Satan is 
whetting his sword and rallying his forces, yet with oceans tra- 
versed with telegraphs, and continents spanned with railroads, 
knowledge is running to and fro, and Christianity is spreading 
rapidly. 

When the nation's indignation was stirred at the rebel bom- 

15 



16 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 

bardment of Fort Sumter, April 12, 1861, tJie writer was wind- 
ing his way across the boundless plains of Nebraska, to Denver, 
and the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Leaving Omaha, Neb., 
April 21, after riding over six successive days and nights in 
the coach, and travelling over six hundred miles up the broad 
waters of the Platte, we reached Denver, and put up at the 
Cherokee House, at twelve dollars a week for boarding and 
lodging. It was here, in this bustling city, that we first felt the 
gloom that overspread the country, occasioned by the signal 
defeat at the first battle of Bull Run. Here w^e spent several 
months in preaching, and gathering up the scattered sheep of 
Israel, and preaching occasionally to small squads of Colorado 
volunteers. It was at Laurette — far beyond Pike's Peak, at the 
foot of the snowy range, between two lofty spurs of the back- 
bone of North America, in the regions of perpetual snoM', where 
in July you can pluck flowers with one hand and make snow- 
balls with the other — that the glorious news of Lincoln's Eman- 
cipation Proclamation first fell upon our ears. A mountain 
merchant then said, " It is the biggest gun ever fired in America ; " 
while Lord John Russell, of England, pronounced it " an act 
of vengeance on the slave-holder.'^ 

Meeting here, beneath the shade of the lofty peaks and rocky 
clifis, for preaching, prayer, and praise, we often enjoyed precious 
times of refreshing. On one occasion, we out-flanked the devil, 
and broke up a Sabbath-evening auction, and had the pleasure 
of seeing the Sabbath-breaking auctioneer haul in his unsold 
goods, and come to church himself. And although we were 
separated from the seat of war by a distance of some two thou- 
sand miles, yet we watched the movements of the two mighty 
armies with intense interest. Every mail was looked for with 
the greatest anxiety, and the late papers, by thousands, " went 
off like hot cakes." But seeing the mighty struggle for our 
national existence w'axing hotter and hotter, and feeling deeply 
anxious to aid in quelling the rebellion, ^ve pulled up stakes and 
struck for home, and hastened to lend our assistance as chaplain of 
the 101st Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers. Having visited 
ray friends, and bidden farewell to a kind and affectionate sister 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 17 

and her family, we took the cars at New Brighton, Pa., and soon 
lauded in the tlironged streets of Pittsburg and Alleghany. 
Leaving these smoky twin cities, in the Pennsylvania Central 
Expl'ess, with lightning speed we hurried across the lofty Alle- 
ghanies, with their beautiful curves and deep ravines, and soon 
found ourselves promenading the broad pavements of Pennsyl- 
vania Avenue, overlooked by the splendid dome of the national 
capitol at one end, and the " White House " at the other. Here 
we visited a few U. S. General Hospitals, and, for the first time, 
enjoyed the privilege of preaching to the sick and wounded sol- 
diers, lying upon their narrow couches, in their airy wards. 
It was in Douglas Hospital, chaplained by Pev. W. Y. Brown, 
U.S.A. Having enjoyed this little foretaste of hospital life, we 
hastened back to Baltimore, where we fell in with G. S. Griffith, 
Esq., president of the IMaryland Branch of the U. S. Chris- 
tian Commission, who, tliough a stranger, received me very 
kindly, and gave me a ricli supply of Testaments, books, papers, 
and tracts for my regiment. Embracing the first ojiportunity, 
we sailed down the broad bosom of Chesapeake Bay to Fortress 
Monroe, Va., and soon made our way up to the Chesapeake Hos- 
pital, where we met with a very kind reception from Chaplain 
James Marshall, U.S.A., stationed at that point, faithfully labor- 
ing for the welfare of the large number of patients collected at 
that noted place. Waiting for transportation, we spent a few 
days here very agreeably ; preaching for the chaplain Sabbath 
morning to his patients, and to a regiment of colored troops, in 
Camp Distribution, in the afternoon. Having enjoyed this, 
another little taste of hospital life, early Tuesday morning we 
bade farewell to the thronged wharf of Fortress Monroe, and 
sailed in the splendid steamer Spaulding for Beaufort, N. C, 
rounding the dangerous coast of Cape Hatteras in the night, 
while wrapped in the sweet embraces of sleep, entirely uncon- 
scious of the danger encountered. But rocked by the raging 
billows of the troubled ocean, upon leaving my berth in the 
morning, I found my head so liglit, and my stomach so disturbed, 
that I could not walk for sea-sickness. But having fully recov- 
ered before reaching Beaufort, we hurried, " by rail," to captured 



18 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

Newbern, surrounded with fortifications and soldiers without, 
and teeming with colored people within. Here we visited sol- 
diers' camps, chaplains' quarters, hospitals, and delegates of the 
Christian Commission, preaching as often as we could ; and thus 
enjoyed another very profitable initiatory step into the panorama 
of hospital and array life. After waiting a few days, a Govern- 
ment transport arrived, and sailing down the broad Pamlico and 
up the placid Albemarle Sounds, we arrived at Plymouth, N. C, 
Dec. 19, 1863, where we found the brave boys of the 101st 
comfortably housed in their warm winter- quarters, and met 
with a very warm reception from Col. A. W. Taylor, then com- 
mand] no; the regiment. 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 19 



CHAPTER I. 

ENTERING THE SERVICE. 

Arrival at Plymouth — Found our Eegiment, the 101st Pa. 
Vol., Comfortably Housed — The Garrison Hungry for the 
Gospel — Christmas Sermon — Big Turn-Out — The Eebels Cap- 
tured AND Drove us off. 

ON arriving at Plymouth, we found the garrison, containing 
some two thousand men, made up of the following regiments 
and companies: the 103d Pa. Vol., Col. Leghman; the 85th N. Y. 
Vol., Col. Fidello ; the 101st Pa. Vol., Lt.-Col. A. W. Taylor ; 
the 16th Conn. Vol., Col. Beech ; a New York Independent Bat- 
tery, and parts of the 12th N. Y. Cavalry and the 2d Mass. Heavy 
Artillery, all commanded by Brig.-Gen. H. W. Wessels. They 
had been there a long time, and were almost entirely destitute 
of preaching. Col. Taylor preached occasionally, and the Rev. 
Mr. Morris, a faithful delegate of the U. S. Christian Commis- 
sion, had just arrived, and held service one or two Sabbaths. 
At his request, I preached the first Sabbath evening after my 
arrival, and announced a Christmas sermon for the following 
Sabbath evening. At the hour appointed, the large Methodist 
church, seating some eight hundred, was crowded to overflowing : 
hundreds, they said, had to go away for want of room. Several 
ladies, Gen. Wessels, and his staif, graced the wide-awake audi- 
ence with their presence. I gave them a sermon on the advent 
of the Saviour, (Gal. iv. 4, 5,) and they listened with rapt atten- 
tion. From that time on, we had a crowded house every Sab- 
bath. The soldiers and officers seemed to be hungry for the 
gospel. The field was great, white, ready to harvest. It was a 
delightful work to preach to them. We had a large, interesting 
Bible-class, and a semi-weekly, well-attended prayer-meeting. 
Our meetings were usually very interesting, solemn, and impress- 



20 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

ive; and at one time we seemed to be on the eve of a great 
revival, but the rebels came, and drove us off before we enjoyed it. 
The colored people had preaching or prayer-meeting in the same 
bouse every Sabbath afternoon, and a flourishing Sabbath-school, 
conducted by a sergeant of the New York Battery. Chaplain 
Dixon, of the 16th Conn. Vol., and Chaplain Rawlings, of the 
103d Pa. Vol., soon arrived, and took part in the regular services 
of the Sabbath. Many of the soldiers and officers took an active 
part, and seemed to be deeply interested. The whole garrison, 
without any distinction of sects, together with a few of the citizens 
of the place, met together. We had no church organization, 
but whenever we met a man apparently bearing the image of 
Christ, we treated him as a brother in the Lord. Graced with 
a well-played melodeon, we had a fine choir, which gave life and 
animation to the services. Each chaplain labored with his own 
regiment during the week, and being well supplied with religious 
papers, tracts, and books, from the Christian Commission, our 
religious work went on finely until the attack by the rebels, April 
17, 1864, which resulted in oar capture, after a hot siege of three 
days. 



CHAPTER II. 

SKETCHES OF SOLDIERS AND OFFICEES. 

A Fort-Fisher Hero — A Heroic Soldier : " I Don't Backslide " — 
"Jesus is All I Want" — "Stand by the Flag, and Cling 
to the Cross" — "All is Well!" A Soldier's Farewell — 
Capt. Tresouthick — Lieut. Ransom: His Dying Prayer and 
"GrLORY to God" — Capt. Fee: His Request, "Please Pray 
for Me" — A Rolling Chaplain — "You Saved My Life" — 
A Dying Soldier's Letter — Lieut. Merrill : Baptized at Mid- 
night — The Dying Captain : " Hurrah for Jesus." By Chap- 
lain Marshall. 

THE folloAving sketches of patients, on to page 62, were taken 
from the U. S. General Hospital, Fortress Monroe, Va. 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 21 



A FORT FISHER HERO. 

John B. Duncan, Co. B, 3d N. H. Vol., was wounded at the 
capture of Fort Fisher, N. C, Jan. 15, 1865. Eager for victory, 
after having fought several hours, he mounts the fort, and while 
there battling for his country, about fifteen minutes before the 
surrender, a minie-ball passed through his shoulder, entering 
just above the right lung. He was brought here Jan. 19, and I 
preached to him and his ward the next evening, from the Sa- 
viour's last farewell promise, " Lo, I am with you alway." 
Blessed with patience and courage, though he suffered severely, 
he bore it all very patiently like a young hero. Not a murmur 
fell from his lips. Approaching his bed one day, he said, " I 
want you to talk to me, chaplain." "VVe found him very tender, 
anxious, prayerful, and penitent. He said he had been awakened 
at Hilton Head, S. C, last May, and had been praying ever 
since. He said " he trusted in Christ, and that he was dear and 
precious; that he felt prepared, and was not afraid to die.'' 
Having with undaunted courage fought the rebels at Fort 
Fisher, and shared in the honor of the glorious victory there 
achieved, and trusting in Him " who hath abolished death," he 
now prepares to meet " the last enemy," death, and says, " If I 
die, send my Testament (much worn by use), my portfolio, and 
my jack-knife to my mother, and tell her not to mourn for me, 
for I feel that I can die happy, and am willing to go, and hope 
and pray we will all meet in heaven." 

I talked, read, and prayed with him. He was very anxious 
to be talked to, and hear about Jesus. On the last morning of 
his life he said, " I feel happy in the Lord." On going into the 
ward to preach on Saturday evening, we found him worse, and 
breathing very hard. We asked him if he would like to hear. 
He said, "Yes;" and while we were singing, " I am going home 
to die no more," he went, and, doubtless, through grace, achieved 
a victory far more glorious than that won at Fort Fislier. His 
serene countenance, resignation, and easy departure seemed to 
say : " O death, where is thy sting ? " 



22 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

" To die is gain." How sudden the change ! How striking 
the contrast of his condition on the field of battle with his con- 
dition in heaven ! Here all is war, blood, and death ; there all 
is life, joy., and peace ! Here he was clothed in garments stained 
with blood ; there in robes white and clean ! Here he was sur- 
rounded with the dead and dying ; there with the redeemed and 
living ! Here his wounds were bathed in blood ; there in the 
waters of the river of life ! Here he shouted on to victory ; 
there on to glory! Here he bore a sword; there he wears a 
crown ! And " though dead, he yet speaketh." His tongue, 
though now mute in death, seems to say to every surviving sol- 
dier, " Be ye also ready — Prepare to meet thy God." 

A HEROIC SOLDIER. 

Elias Babcock, 10th N. Y., Co. B., was wounded at the last 
battle before Petersburg, and brought here April 4, with his left 
leg amputated above the knee. He had been sick before the 
battle ; and although his stump seemed to do pretty well for a 
while, he always looked like a man that was going to die. His 
ward was full of stumps or amputated limbs, fresh from the 
bloody field and fierce conflict that gained the glorious victory 
that put Jeff. Davis to flight, brought down Richmond, and led 
to Lee's surrender and the overthrow of the great rebellion. 

On my first approaching him, I found him a prayerful, decided 
Christian. He said, though in the army, " / donH haehslide.'" I 
visited him very frequently, and often preached to him and sev- 
eral others on their death-beds in his ward. He seemed to enjoy 
it very much. Though pale and weak, he would always put out 
his arm to shake hands on my approach. A few days before 
his departure, he said, " I thought I was dying last night, and 
my thoughts reverted to the place of my conversion four years 
ago." "All was bright — I felt very happy." "This wound is 
God's rod to comfort me ; it is for my good." " Oh, the pre- 
cious promises in God's word !" "I am not afraid to die." "I 
believe I could die happy." " Men may live along with reli- 



CHEISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 23 

gion, but when they get wounded and begin to look into eternity, 
and feel the near approach of heaven, it is far better." He spoke 
of, and seemed to realize deeply, the great sacrifice God requires 
us to make for Christ. At another interview, when I spoke to 
him about Christ knocking at the door for admittance into the 
sinner's heart, he said, " I have let him in long ago." Here the 
solemn scene beggars description. With his weeping wife 
standing at his side, and with eyes streaming with tears, and 
clasped hands lifted up toward heaven, and gazing into eternity, 
he said, " It is far better." But passing this lofty attainment, 
and rising higher and higher, and drawing nearer and nearer to 
God, apparently " filled with the Holy Ghost," he seemed to 
realize "a joy unspeakable." 

Though he suffered long and severely, he bore it all very pa- 
tiently; not a murmur fell from his lips. Blessed with God's 
sanctifying grace, his wounded limb was a healing balm to his 
soul. And his dying words, " This wound is God's rod to com- 
fort me ; it is for my good," should strengthen the heart and 
cheer the soul of every wounded soldier. "Behold, happy is 
the man whom God correcteth." His last words were, " I am 
happy." Thus passed away the heroic soldier, doubly crowned 
— crowned with victory on the field, and with glory in heaven. 
" To die is gain." 

"JESUS IS ALL I WANT." 

Man is a creature of vast desires — so vast that the world with 
all its grandeur and glory will not satisfy him. Though he 
really wants but little, " nor wants that little long," yet " the 
more he gets the more he wants." Let a man own all the gold 
of earth, possess all the wealth of the universe, command all 
thrones, wield all sceptres, control all commerce, scale all heights, 
fathom all depths, enjoy all the pleasures that this world can 
afford, and yet there remains an empty void within. The insa- 
tiable heart still cries, " Give ! give ! " and longs for more. 

But is there no adequate portion? Is there no remedy for 
this insatiable thirst? Must man live and die famishing upon 
the empty vanities of this fleeting world? No; he need not. 



24 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

There is the infinite God, and the all-comprehensive Saviour, 
filled with all the fulness of God, before whom " all nations are 
as nothing, and counted less than nothing and vanity," 

Yes, man of the world, here is Jesus, infinitely rich in wis- 
dom, honor, power, and glory, waiting to make you infinitely 
rich in all the joys of earth, and in all the glories of heaven. 
Jesus is here willing to be " made unto you wisdom, righteous- 
ness, sanctification, and redemption." 

The following incident shows, in a very striking manner, the 
all-sufficiency of Christ as a satisfying portion. Walking over 
the field of battle, shortly after a severe fight, a chaplain stepped 
up to a wounded soldier lying on the cold ground, apparently in 
severe pain, and said : " Can I do anything for you ? " " Oh, 
no," replied the soldier ; " I want nothing. I have Jesus here 
with me, and he is all I want." " But," said the chaplain, "you 
can't live but a few minutes longer ! " "I know it ; but I am 
in perfect peace. I have no fear of death. Please put my 
blanket over me and cover my face, and let me shut out all but 
Jesus ; so let me die." 

Oh, what wonderful words ! '•' I want nothing ! " How rich 
the dying soldier ! Go and gaze upon the wonderful scene. 
See ! There he lies with his mangled body bathed in his own 
blood, and wrapped in a thin blanket, and yet he says, "I want 
nothing." No earthly friend is near ; not a prayer was offered 
for him ; not a tear was shed over him ; not an emotion of sym- 
pathy to console him ; and yet the warm response rises from his 
gushing heart, " / want nothing " — nothing of the world ; and 
why ? His soul, his heart, was full of Jesus. " I have Jesus 
here, a;nd he is all I want." Oh, what a rich possession ! What 
an all-sufficient portion ! Where is the worldling that can say 
as much ? Search creation through, explore all heights, examine 
all kingdoms, ascend all thrones, muster all million naires, and 
where can you find one out of Christ that can say, " I have all 
I want." No, it is not in the riches, honors, or pleasures of the 
world to satisfy the cravings of the immortal mind. Then let 
us pray to be crucified to tlie world and consecrated to God ; so 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 25 

that wlieu we come to die we may be able to say, " I have Jesus, 
and he is all I want." 

"STAND BY THE FLAG, AND CLING TO THE CROSS." 

Every age produces some vivid, remarkable, and sublime say- 
ings, words glowing with intense thought, lofty fervor, and 
heroic devotion. Bacon's " Knowledge is power; " Patrick Henry's 
"Give me liberty or give me death;" Gen. Grant's "/ am de- 
termined to fight it out on this line; " and Abraham Lincoln's 
" Charity for all and malice toward none " will live until the 
close of time. So will the immortal words, " Stand by the flag, 
and cling to the cross." They are the dying words of Edward 
M. Schneider, of the 57tli Mass. Regiment, to his brother in the 
navy. When the regiment was being formed, young Schneider 
was at school in Philip's Academy, Andover, Mass.; but fired 
with a lofty patriotism, he dropped his books, laid down his pen, 
girded on the sword, and boldly marched to the defence of his 
country, though strongly opposed by his friends. 

During the weary march from Annapolis to the Rapidan, 
though but seventeen years of age, he steadily kept his place in 
the ranks, and receiving a slight wound on the North Anna, was 
sent to Port Royal for transportation to Washington ; but pre- 
ferring the field to the hospital, and longing to go, he returned 
to his regiment, and joined them at Coal Harbor ; and being so 
full of fight, he said to his chaplain, while preparing to charge 
u])on the enemy near the "Dunn House," "I intend to be the first 
one to enter their works." The charge was made. On they rush, 
with a full determination to conquer or die ; and with an eager 
heart young Schneider led the advance, keeping several paces 
ahead, as they approached the awful crisis. He was almost 
there, near enough to feel the hot flash of the rebel musketry in 
his face, when a fatal ball pierced his body and brought him to 
the ground. He was carried back to the hospital, with six hun- 
dred and fifty of his comrades, where he lay all night with his 
wound undressed, waltzing his turn. He suffered severely, yet, 
possessing a heroic patience, not a murmur fell from his lips. 



26 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

The chaplain, Kev, Mr. Dashiell, visited him, looked at his wound ; 
and the suifering soldier, anxiously looking him in the face, 
asks, " What do you think of it, chaplain ? " Seeing that it was 
mortal, the chaplain was so deeply affected that he could neither 
reply nor restrain his tears. Edward interpreted the meaning of 
his silent tears that his wound was mortal. " Don't weep, chaplain,'* 
he said ; " it is God's will. Please write to my father, and tell 
him that I have tried to do my duty to my country and to God." 
He disposed of his effects, giving ten dollars to the U. S. Chris- 
tian Commission, twenty dollars to the American Board, and trifles 
to his friends. Then, in the simplicity of his heart, he said, " I 
have many good friends, schoolmates, and companions. They 
will want to know where I am, and how I am getting on. Tell 
them I am gone, and that I die content. And the boys in 
the regiment, chaplain, I want you to tell them to stand 
by the dear old flag. And there is my brother in the navy, 
write to him, and tell him to stand by the flag, and cling to the 
cross of Christ." The surgeon came, examined his wound, and 
said, " It is my duty to tell you that you Avill soon go home." 
"Yes, doctor, I am going home. I am not afraid to die. I 
don't know how the valley will be when I get to it, but it is all 
right now." Then, gathering up his waning strength, he calmly 
and solemnly repeated the verse often sung by the soldiers, who, 
amid all the whirl and shock of battle, never forget their loved 
ones at home, — 

"Soon with angels I'll be marching, 
With bright laurels on my brow : 
I have for my country fallen ; 
Who will care for sister now ? " 

" The night passed away, death came on apace ; " he still suf- 
fered intensely, yet without a complaining word. Sabbath morn- 
ing came, and, with the dawning of the light, his blood-washed 
soul passed away on the 17th of June, 1864, just eighty-nine 
years after the battle of Bunker's Hill. It was sad news to send 
to his .father, then a well-known missionary of the American 
Board at Aintab, Turkey. It M^as a great loss to lose such a 
noble son ; yet it was glorious to die such a triumphant death. 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 27 

His work is done. His destiny is fixed. He died tliat his country 
might live. His death was a triumphant victoiy. And although 
he was not permitted to stand first upon the ramparts of the ene- 
my's works at Petersburg, yet, having died such a glorious death, 
no doubt to-day he stands among the first within the ramparts 
of heaven. 

His grave is by the roadside, marked by the rude palings 
erected by Chaplain Dashiell. "The summer - breeze sweeps 
through the sighing pines overspreading the heaved-up mound. 
Mournful, yet sweet, the music of the wind-harp — mournful, 
])ecause one so young, so full of life, and capable of such a future, 
should go so soon ; sweet, in that he did his work so well." 
" Had he lived a century, he could not have made it more com- 
plete." " And," says Carlton, to whom we are indebted for the 
facts, and part of the language of this sketch, " I have stood by 
the mouldering dust of those whose names are great in history; 
whose deeds and virtues are cut in brass and marble ; who were 
reverenced while living, and mourned for when dead, — but never 
have I felt a profounder reverence for departed worth than for 
him who sleeps beneath the pines, uncoffined, unshrouded, wearing, 
as when he fell, the uniform of his country." 

His last words — 

"stand by the flag, and cling to the cross!" 

will live as long as the flag of our country waves, or the cross 
of Christ endures. " They are the emblems of all our hopes, both 
for time and for eternity." How heroic the patriotism ! and how 
strong and sublime the fiith that prompted them ! What lofty 
conceptions of duty ! What earnest, whole-hearted consecration do 
they indicate ! They are the very cream and essence of the young 
hero's life, and the sum and concentration of man's whole duty. 
What power, grandeur, and glory do they inspire and carry 
along with them ! Dudley Tyng's immortal words : " Stand up 
FOR Jesus," have fired the hearts of millions; but they only im- 
j)ress us with our duty to God ; but the heroic soldier, with a 
heart glowing with Christian zeal and patriotic ardor, with his 



28 CHEISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

dying breath pleads most earnestly both for his country and his 
Saviour. 

God grant that his inspiring words may be deeply impressed 
upon every Christian's heart. 

"ALL IS WELL!" A SOLDIER'S FAREWELL. 

Elnor Winslow, 203d Pa., Co. C, was mortally wounded at 
the capture of Fort Fisher, N. C, Jan. 15, 1864, and brought 
to the hospital shortly after. Brave and courageous, he rose 
above all fear in battle; and, eager for victory, he ventured 
within a few feet of the rebel guns, and there, amidst whizzing 
balls and bursting shells, battling for his country, he received a 
wound, which, after a few months of severe and patient suifering, 
closed his career on earth. Though blessed with a religious edu- 
cation, he enlisted in the service of his country before he enlisted 
under the banner of the Cross, and was converted in the army. 
At my first interview with him, he said he had been seeking 
religion for some six months ; and that he began to pray while 
posted at Camp Cadwalader, near Philadelphia, Pa. It was there, 
it seems, he first began to realize his lost and undone condition, 
and to feel his need of a Saviour. It was then he began to cry, 
" God be merciful to me a sinner ! " I pointed him to the Lamb 
of God that taketh away the sins of the world, and urged him to 
look unto him. Orthodox in his views, and with a clear concep- 
tion of the plan of salvation by faith in Christ, at our next inter- 
view we found him indulging a hope, and he said, " I think, 
now, I am a Christian." And now having tasted something " of 
the heavenly gift," he thirsts for more, and realizing his depend- 
ence upon God for it, he very frequently goes unto him in 
prayer, earnestly pleading for an increase of light, grace, and 
strength. Possessing a heart glowing with an ardent, lofty 
patriotism, he prayed much for his country. Though pale and 
weak in body, he appeared to be strong in the Lord, and would 
very often make most beautiful, earnest, touching prayers. I 
visited him often ; and when I preached in his ward, he seemed 
to enjoy the services very much. He was remarkably mild, 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE AVAR. 29 

patient, and resigned. Notwithstanding the duration and sever- 
ity of his sufferings, yet in patience possessing his soul, he seemed 
to lie passive in the arms of Jesus, patiently waiting God's time. 
Not a murmur fell from his lips. Rising above all fear of death, 
he said, " I feel happy in the Lord, and am not afraid to die." 
Deeply concerned for the salvation of his comrades, he frequently 
urged them to be faithful to God and their country. At another 
call, some ten days before his death, full of bright hopes of eternal 
glory, with Christ precious to his soul, he said, "All is well." 
" Yes, dying for your country, and dying in the Lord, all must be 
well. When Rev. S. B. Bangs was approaching the eternal world, 
full of assurance, he exclaimed, 'Not a doubt! not a cloud!' 
'All is well ! more than well,' and looking out at the Avindow, he 
said, ' The sun is setting ; mine is rising.' * I go from this 
bed to a crown,' and, bidding all farewell, he went home to glory. 
And here you lie, with a body pierced with rebel bullets, expect- 
ing soon to bid farewell to this weeping world, and, rising above 
all doubts and fears, be enabled to say, glory be to God, ' all is 
loell!'^' Oh, how glorious the approximation ! How lofty the 
achievement ! Victory over the enemy on the field of battle is 
glorious. Having shed his own blood for his country, and with 
his soul washed in the blood of Jesus, there he lies patiently wait- 
ing the summons, " Come up higher ! " And God keeps him 
here among his comrades. And why ? Doubtless to give them 
further warning by his example, exhortations, and prayers. Yet, 
like Paul, having a desire to depart, he prays, " Lord, can't you 
as well let me go now as any other time ? " In the language of 
the sainted Toplady, he seemed to cry, "Oh, how this soul of mine 
longs to be yours ! Like a bird imprisoned in a cage, it longs to 
take its flight ! Oh, that I had wings like a dove, then would I 
fly away to the realms of bliss, and be at rest forever ! Oh, 
that some guardian angel might be commissioned ; for I long to 
be absent from this body, and to be with my Lord forever." 
" Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly ! " And yet this brave hero 
lingers ; the grave yawns. Death knocks at his door, yet with- 
holds the fatal stroke ; and his noble soul still cleaves to its clay 
tenement. Gather round, and gaze upon the solemn scene, and 



30 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

learn how a heroic soldier can die ! His dear comrades weep 
around him; angels hover over him, till at last, March 14, 1864, 
God, in mercy, snaps the silver cord, and his emancipated soul 
took its flight home to glory. 

CAPTAIN TRESOUTHICK. 

This brave officer was brought to the Chesapeake Hospital 
early in July, 1864, with one leg amputated above the knee. In 
what engagement he was wounded, we do not recollect. But 
having proven his love for his country on the bloody field, he 
comes to the hospital to complete the sacrifice. With a robust 
frame, a dark, heavy brow, and a countenance beaming with honor 
and integrity, his appearance was quite prepossessing. 

Delighting in the law of the Lord, he kept his Bible at his 
side all the time, drawing from its exceeding great and precious 
promises strong consolation. Blessed with the skilful surgical 
attendance of Dr. Rush, Surgeon of the U.S. volunteers, and nui'sed 
by a tender, faithful matron and an affectionate brother, he was 
well cared for, and received the best attention the hospital could 
afford. And although his loss was great and suffering severe, 
yet, " counting all things but loss " for the salvation of his coun- 
try, he was not only composed and resigned, but he seemed to 
enjoy an inward peace the world knows nothing of. 

I preached occasionally to him and his large ward of sick and 
wounded officers, in all some one hundred and fifty patients, once 
on the nature and necessity of regeneration, and again on the 
nature of God's presence and the rest it affords, urging upon 
them all the great importance of " fleeing the wrath to come, and 
immediately to lay hold of the hope set before them in the gospel." 
Fond of the word of God and prayer, the captain felt himself 
neglected, if Chaplain JNIarshall or I did not go every evening 
and read and pray with him. Consequently we did this very 
often. At the close of the day, just as the sun was setting beneath 
the bloody sky, we would go, in a quiet, easy way, and read 
to him about the Sun of Righteousness, and, after a few words of 
exj)lanation, kneel down by his bedside and pray with him, com- 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 31 

mending him, soul and body, to the watchful care of "Him who 
neither slumbereth nor sleepeth." He had commenced to study 
for the ministry, but with a heart swelling with patriotism, at his 
country's call he laid down theology, grasped the sword, fought, 
and fell a martyr in the noble cause of liberty and truth. 

Giving satisfactory evidence of the gracious state by his words 
and deeds, we never felt like questioning him particularly on his 
religious experience. But his meek, forgiving spirit and heroic 
devotion evinced that there was laid up for him a crown of glory. 
The weather became extremely warm. He lingered along the 
shore of the eternal world until late in July, when, robed in 
white, and crowned with a martyr's crown, and singing a victor's 
song, he passed the precincts of mortality, and Avent, we trust, 
to swell the ranks of the blood-washed throng in heaven. 

LIEUTENxVNT C. M. RANSOM. 

The following brief sketch of Lieut. Ransom was written by the 
author, and published in the " American Messenger," New York. 

Chesapeake Hospital, 
Fortress Monroe, Va., July 25, 1865. 

Rev. A. S. Billingsley, a devoted chaplain of this hospital, writes, Lieut. 
C. M. Ransom, 98th N. Y. Vol. , was wounded at Petersburg, Va., on the 
6th, and brought here on the 8th of July, He soon became very restless, 
slept but little, and seemed to suffer intensely, I visited him very often, 
and frequently spoke to him of Jesus, and told him that he is a precious, 
merciful, all-compassionate Saviour, able and willing to save even to the 
very uttermost, and urged him to come unto him. 

On one occasion I read and explained to him the interesting story of 
" blind Bartimeus," Mark x., and kneeling by his bedside besought God 
for his salvation, and prayed that that 2)oor beggar's prayer, " Jesus, thou 
son of David, have mercij on vie I" might go forth from his heart. As I 
prayed, he cried, " Amen ! amen !" and exclaimed, " Glory to God ; glory to 
God." Prayer being over, and convinced of his approaching death, he 
said to me, with deep emotion and tears, " Tell my mother, brothers, and 
sisters that I died for my country, and with a Christian heart, and hope they 
will do the same." Soon after he offered an audible prayer. Let us thank 
God for such a victory. How glorious such a death. " To die for our 
country, and to die with a Christian heart," is the chief end and highest 
attainment of man. 



I 



32 CHKISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

Shortly after his death his brother came to see him, and learning he was 
dead and buried, waa deeply anxious to know if he died with hope in the 
Lord. When I told him of his dying words and bright prospects, with a 
smitten heart he exclaimed, "Thank God! thank God!" and burst into 
tears, weeping like a child. 

Such is the anxiety of one brother for another, and such the strong con- 
solation "to die with a Christian heart" affords. Let Christian laborei's, 
soldiers, and officers "thank God, and take courage." 

CAPTAIN FEE. 

Capt. John A. Fee, Co. I, 48tli IN". Y. Vol., was severely 
wounded in the right shoulder and arm, June 30, 1864, while 
defending his country's honor, and brought to Chesapeake Hos- 
pital shortly after. Brave, frank, and free in conversation, with 
a generous heart, although he possessed many noble traits, yet 
he made no pretensions to piety. His wound never seemed to 
do well. In spite of all the surgeons could do, it would occa- 
sionally bleed profusely, thus rapidly reducing his strength. 
But being lively and jovial, he bore up under it very well. Easy 
of access, we had no trouble in approaching him on the subject 
of religion, and frequently we had lengthy conversations about 
the " one thing needful." I recollect one occasion particularly, 
on the 12th of July, when Iread to him the fifty-third chapter of 
Isaiah, pointing him to the Saviour " who was wounded for our 
transgressions, and with whose stripes we are healed." " Jesus 
received five wounds for the salvation of our souls ; you, captain, 
have received only one for our country. He was pierced through 
his hands and feet, you only through the shoulder." And having 
explained to him the plan of salvation, upholding Christ to him 
in all his offices of prophet, priest, and king, urging upon him 
the necessity of regeneration, and the importance of immediate 
repentance, I besought him by every motive under heaven at 
once to fly to the Saviour. On July 9, his wound bled again 
profusely, and made another heavy draw upon his vitality. The 
surgeons tied the artery, but erelong it broke loose again ; and, 
after consultation, the doctors decided to take his arm oif. Laying 
him on a stretcher, he was carried to the " operators' tent ;" and 
feeling deeply interested in his welfare, I went along to witness 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. ^-^> 

the operation. All ready, they lay him upon the hard table ; 
and conscious of the danger of losing his life (in the operation), 
I spoke to him about his future prospects, and asked him, "If 
you should die in the operation, captain, do you feel prepared to 
go?" "No," he said; "I don't know as I do." Firm and com- 
posed, the captain exhibited no signs of fear. They gave hini 
chloroform ; and as it began to take effect, he began to say bad 
words. The surgeons hesitate ; waiting, it was said, for the ad- 
vice of the surgeon in charge. The stupefaction passes off, and 
I began to persuade him to repent and come to Jesus. Endeav- 
oring to impress his mind with the importance of making his 
peace with God immediately, and to encourage him, I referred 
him to the striking, encouraging case of the thief on the c7'oss. 
I told him " man's extremity is God's opportunity." " There 
hangs the dying thief. It is his last opportunity. This may be 
your last. There he hangs upon the cross — here you lie upon 
the fatal amputation-table. There he went a hardened sinner — 
here you have come an open swearer. He died a malefactor for 
his crime. You may soon die a martyr for your country. With 
him it was the last extremity ; with yow this is probably the last 
opportunity. Oh, then, trifle no longer with your soul's salva- 
tion. There he hangs, a thief and a robber — here you lie, a 
patriot soldier. A regular Jew, he had been brought up to hate 
and despise the Saviour. You have been brought up to love and 
serve him. How thrilling the scene! There he hangs right 
beside the bleeding Saviour. Hark ! do you hear that voice ? 
It is the voice of prayer, — the dying thief praying to the dying- 
Saviour. ' Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into 
thy kingdom.' Oh, what a prayer was that ! It is not only 
short, direct, earnest, comprehensive, but it was a prayer of won- 
derful faith and poioer. Look at the circumstances, how dark 
and unfavorable to elicit faith and secure confidence ! There hangs 
the Saviour, nailed to the cross, dying as a malefactor ; yet witli 
divine light flashed upon the thief's soul, his faith penetrates tJie 
dark cloud, and recognizes the expiring Redeemer as ^ Jesus, 
Lord' and flies to him for salvation. How critical the mo- 
ment ! It is the crisis of his soul. It is Salvation noio, or never. 
3 



34 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

It was liis last prayer. And was it heard ? Did it prevail ? Did 
Jesus remember him ? He did, and replied, ' To-day shalt thou 
be with me in paradise.' Yes, that very day, with his soul 
washed in Christ's blood, he went home to glory, translated from 
the cross to the throne. Oh, then, my dear captain, be encour- 
asied. Look to Jesus. Look and live, believe and be saved. 
Pray like the publican, 'God be merciful to me a sinner.' 
Pray like sinking Peter, ' Lord, save me.' Pray like the dying 
thief, ' Jesus, Lord, remember me,' and I can assure you, your 
prayer will be heard, your sins pardoned, and your soul saved. 

" Doubtless it will soon be with you, as it was with that dying 
thief, your very last chance. Now is the crisis of your soul. It is 
salvation noiv, or never ; it is believe and be saved now, or refuse 
and be lost forever ; it will soon be salvation or damnation ! Noio 
is the accepted time ; oh, then, let this be the day of your salvation ! 
Just think, captain, of the Saviour's love in suffering and dying 
to save us, and of his ability and willingness to save you ; think, 
too, how lamentable it will be to die for j^our country and lose 
your own soul ! Think of the torments of hell ; of the lashings 
of a guilty conscience ; ©f the gnawtngs of the undying worm ; 
of 'the everlasting fire;' of the weeping, wailing, and gnashing 
of teeth, you will soon bring upon yourself, unless you soon repent ! 
Then let these things alarm you ; let the love of Christ constrain 
you, and his sjjirit woo you. Gaze upon the compassionate Saviour 
Ivino- in a manger. View him agonizing in Gethsemane ; suffer- 
ing, groaning, bleeding, dying upon Calvary, crying unto you, 
' Give me thy heart ! ' and let the cry go forth from your heart, 
' Here, Lord, I give myself away ! ' " And perceiving his iieart 
beginning to yield, I asked him, " If he had not been a great 
sinner? " He replied, " Yes ;" and feeling a sense of his sins, and 
realizing his need of a Saviour, he said, " Chaplain, will you 
please pray for me ?" and then, while he lay on the hard board, 
surrounded with doctors and surgeons, I knelt down on the 
ground : I prayed, and besought God, for Jesus' salce, to have 
mercy on him. Then urging him still further to surrender him- 
self to the great Captain of our salvation, and beseeching him 
to let go of everything else, and to step right out upon the pro- 



[ 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 35 

mises of God, and throw himself into the arras of Jesus, we left 
him. They cut ofi' his arm, and carried him back to his ward. 
At my next call, I said to him, " Do you feel sorry for your 
sins, captain ? " " Yes," he replied. " Seek ye the Lord while 
he may be found. O captain, just surrender yourself at once, 
and come to Jesus. Now is your best time. Now is God's time. 
Delay is dangerous. It is glorious to die for your country ; but 
it is lamentable to die, and be lost. Go to Calvary ; see how 
Jesus suffered,. bled, and died that you might live! And can 
you, will you refuse him ? May God bless you, captain." He 
said, " Pie loved the Saviour, and that he was precious to him." 
He grew pale and weak, and his attendant brother sent for me 
just as he Avas dying, July 15, 1864; but it was tlien too late, 
even to jjray for him again. AVe trust he went happy. 

A ROLLING CHAPLAIN. 

The son of Dr. Eastman, Secretary of the American Tract 
Society, was a chaplain. His horse, plunging during a battle, 
struck him on the knee-pan. His leg awelled and stifl'ened until 
the pain became almost unendurable. When he could no longer 
stand, he gave his horse up to a servant, and had himself to lie 
on the ground. The pain was intense. Darkness settled over 
him. He had to take a wounded soldier's place alone that night. 
As he lay on his back, suffering and thinking, he heard a voice : 
" my God ! " He thought, can any body be swearing in such 
a place as this ! He listened again, and a prayer began. It 
was^i wounded soldier praying. IIow can I get at himf was his 
first impulse. He tried to draw up his stiffened limb, but he 
could not rise. Then he grasped a sapling, drew up his well 
foot, and tried to lift the other up and extend it without bending, 
that he might walk ; but he fell back, in the effort, with a heavy 
fall, that jarred through him like a stab ! He then thought, 
" I CAN ROLL." And over and over, in pain, he rolled in blood 
and over dead bodies, until he fell against the dying man, and 
there he preaclicd Christ, and prayed. At length one of the line- 
officers came up, and said, " Where is the chaplain ? Where is 



36 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

the chaplain ? One of the staff-officers is dying." " Here he is ! 
here he is ! " cried out the suffering hero. " Well, such an officer 
is dying ; can't you come out and see him ? " "I cannot move ; 
I have just rolled up alongside of this dying man to talk to 
him." " If I detail two men to carry you, may they do it ? " 
" Yes." They took him gently up, and carried him. And that 
live-long night those two men rode him over the battle-held, and 
laid him down, in blood, beside bleeding, dying men ; and he 
preached Christ to them, and prayed. He had to look up then, 
brethren ; he could look no other way from that j^osition, not 
even into the face of the dying ; and with God's stars shining 
down on him, and heaven bending over him, he had to preach 
Christ, and pray ! 

" I can do all things, and can bear 
All sufferings, if my Lord be there ; 
And pleasure mingles with my pains. 
While his right hand my head sustains." 

Extract. 



"YOU SAVED MY LIFE!" 

It was on a hot, sultry night, about twelve o'clock, in the sum- 
mer of 1864, when all was calm and quiet, that I heard a quick 
rap at the door of my quarters. " Who 's there ? " I inquired, 
hastily. " The nurse from room number eleven, first ward ! " 
replied the nocturnal visitor. " What do you want ? " " Lieut. 
D. is very bad, and wants you to come up and see hira — right 
quick." Immediately I got up, put on my clothes, and hurfying 
up the long, winding stairs, by the lamps dimly burning, made 
my way to his lofty apartment, and found him lying on his bed 
in the sixth story of the hospital. On approaching his bed, he 
reached out his hand, and giving each other a warm, tender 
shake, I said, " What 's the matter, lieutenant ? " " O chaplain, 
I feel most awful. I have long been a professor of religion, 
and have enjoyed much comfort in it; but now I feel that I have 
lost it all. I am afraid I am going to die, and be lost. Oh, 
what shall I do ? " " Look to Jesus, look to Jesus, He is the 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 37 

great Physician, able, willing, and mighty to save and comfort ! 
And he is right here — here in this room, in all his loveliness, 
tenderness,' and compassion, waiting to dispel your doubts and 
fears, and restore unto you the joys of his salvation. Are you in 
darkness ? He is light. Are you weak ? He is strength. Are 
you guilty ? His blood cleanseth from all sin. Are you afraid 
you '11 be lost ? He is ' mighty to save.' Are you in trouble ? 
He says, ' Be of good cheer.' Then, ^fear not ;' don't be dis- 
couraged ; there is no danger of your going to die now, and be 
lost. God's promises run parallel with a man's life. ' Oast thy 
burden upon the Lord, and he will sustain thee.' 'Only believe/ 
and your doubts and fears will leave you. Jesus says, ' My grace 
is sufficient for thee.'. . . The temptations of army life have, per- 
haps, led you away from the Saviour, and God has, in mercy, 
thrown you into the furnace of affliction, to whip and bring you 
back. God is, no doubt, only trying your faith, and he says, 
' Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial that is to try you.' 
Troubles and trials don't come by chance ; no, they are sent in 
infinite wisdom, love, and mercy for your good ; and if through 
their sanctified use you are brought nearer to God, you ought to 
be thankful for them. Basil's prayer was, 'Saviour, give me 
any cross that may bring me into subjection to thy cross.' Then 
be patient: 'AH things work together for good.' Job says, 
'Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.' Oh, then, fly to 
Jesus — throw yourself right into his arms, and cry, like sinking 
Peter, 'Lord, save me/ and God will lift you out of this ' doubt- 
ing castle.' If the dying thief, when hanging upon the cross, 
trusted a dyin^ Saviour amidst all the darkness, horror, and 
gloom of the crucifixion, surely yotb can trust him here in the 
hospital. Besides these encouraging facts, it is very common for 
Christians at times to become cast down, and get into a state of 
soul dejection. Job, with all his patience, piety, and assurance, 
on one occasion so lost his sense of God's presence, that he ex- 
claimed, 'Oh, that I knew where I mind find him ! ' David, 
though we find him, at times, soaring aloft and basking in the 
blessed enjoyment of full assurance, yet, again, we find him cast 
down, watering his couch with tears, earnestly exclaiming, ' AVhy 



38 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

art thou cast down, O my soul ? Why art thou disquieted within 
me? ' So you need not be discouraged, if, amidst all the whirl- 
pools of temptation incident to a soldier's life, you do sometimes 
get into the fog, and wander away into the Slough of Despond. 
Besides, your trouble and distress of mind may arise from the 
disease of your body." 

Thus, sorely troubled, and being very anxious to have his 
doubts and fears removed, he began to inquire about the nature 
and evidences of love to the Saviour. Answering his inquiries 
as well as I could, and recounting to him some of the principal 
marks of the gracious state, and endeavoring to console him, 
after reading to him the fourteenth chapter of John, and praying 
that God would dispel his dark clouds, and pour into his soul the 
consolations of his Spirit, his doubts and fears began to leave 
him. After pointing him again to the Saviour, and upholding 
him in all his offices and attractiveness, drawn from the melting 
scenes of Gethsemane and Calvary, I bid him a tender farewell 
for the night. Hastening up early next morning, I found him 
all bright and clear. The lowering cloud had passed away, and, 
enjoying the bright rays of the Sun of Righteousness, he was 
very gratefully rejoicing in his happy deliverance. I visited 
him frequently afterward, and always found his heart overflow- 
ing with gratitude and thanksgiving. He soon got well, and 
went back to his regiment; served his time out, and went home. 
I labored on in the hospital long after Lee's surrender : the 
rebellion was quelled, the slave was freed, and the country 
saved ; but of the lieutenant I heard nothing more until the 
fall of 1868, when he saw and recognized me in the church while 
attending the Presbyterian Synod in Ohio. Finding out my 
lodging-place, he came round next morning to see me ; and on 
entering my room, as we shook hands, he said, with a good deal 
of warmth, "Do you know mef " Looking at him a moment — • 
"No; I guess not," I replied. And says he, "You saved 
MY LIFE ! " "I saved your life ? " greatly surprised. " Yes, 
I believe you did." " When and where ? " " In Chesapeake 

Hospital." " Who are you ? " " Lieut. D , 143d Ohio Vol. 

Co. E. Don't you remember coming up late, one night, to see 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 39 

a sick man in room number eleven, first ward ? " " Yes ; I re- 
member it very well." "I am the man," and then, with joy, I 
recognized him at once. It was a very hajopy re-union. How 
glad wo were to see one another again ! He was unspeakably 
thankful for what I had done for him, and I was very glad to 
learn that I had been the means of relieving him and saving his 
life. I had not known it until now. 

At his kind request, with great pleasure I went out and spent 

a night with him and his family, near C ; and, as I reached 

the house, found his noble wife waiting for me at the door. As 
I approached her, she gave me a very warm shake of the hand, 
saying, " You are very dear to me, because I believe you saved 
the life of my husband." Thanking her heartily for her com- 
pliments and kind reception, we went in, and found them living 
very comfortably with his parents. Instead of dying, and being 
lost in tlie hospital, as he feared he would be that awful night, 

Mr. D still lives, a highly - respected, consistent Christian 

gentleman. 

Reader, let this striking case encourage you to labor on, and 
be faithful, even though you do not see the fruits. It is not 
given us always to know what good we are doing. Tlie blessing 
is of God. It is man's duty to labor ; it is God's prerogative 
to bless. 



A DYING SOLDIER'S LETTER. 

We copy the following from a late number of the " Detroit 
Free Press : " 

Many of the friends and acquaintances of the late Col. Brodhead have 
expressed a great desire to see his last letter, — the one which, it is generally 
known, he wrote to his wife from the fatal battle-field. To gratify this 
desire, we have requested, and have been able to obtain, a copy of the let- 
ter, and to publish it, with the restriction, however, that the names referred 
to in it should not be mentioned : 

"My Dearest Wife: — ^^I write to you mortally wounded from the 
battle-field. We are again defeated, and ere this reaches you your chil- 
dren will be fatherless. 



^0 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 

" Before I die, let me implore that, in some way, it may be stated that 

Gen. has been outwitted, and that is a traitor. Had they done 

their duty as I did mine, and had led as I led, the dear old flag had waved 
in triumph. 

" I wrote to you yesterday morning. To-day is Sunday, and to-day I 
sink to the green couch of our final rest. 

" I have fought w^ll, my darling ; and I was shot in the endeavor to rally 
our broken battalions. I could have escaped ; but I would not till all hope 
was gone, and was shot — about the only one of our forces left on the field. 
Our cause is just, and our generals, not the enemy's, have defeated us. In 
God's good time he will give us victory. 

" And now good-by, wife and children. Bring them up, I know you 
will, in the fear of God and love for the Saviour. But for you and the 
dear ones dependent, I should die happy. I know the blow will fall with 
crushing weight on you. Trust in Him who gave manna in the wilderness. 

" Dr. Nash is with me. It is now after midnight, and I have spent most 
of the night in sending messages to you. 

"Two bullets have gone through my chest, and directly through the 
lungs. I suffer but little now, but at first the pain was acute. I have won 
the soldier's name, and am ready to meet now, as I must, the soldier's fate. 
I hope that from heaven I may see the glorious old flag wave again over 
the undivided Union I have loved so well. 

" Farewell, wife and babes, and friends ! We shall meet again. 
" Your loving 

" Thoknton." 

LIEUTENANT FRANK L. MERRILL. 

This noble officer of the 3d Regiment N. H. Vol., Co. H, 
was brought into Chesapeake Hospital, July 2, 1864, -svith his 
left leg amputated below the knee. Mild and affable in his 
manners, he was always an agreeable patient to wait on. Frank 
and free in conversation, we found no difficulty in a^jproaching 
him on any subject. Touching his religious character, he said 
he had been brought up by Baptist parents; and although not 
a professor of religion himself, he was moral, and had often been 
deeply impressed with religious things, yet, he said, " I am satis- 
fied I am not a Christian." Still he was deeply concerned about 
his salvation, and, at his request, I read and prayed with him 
very frequently ; sometimes three or four times a day. He 
seemed to hunger and thirst for salvation. And in the plainest 
manner I pointed him to Christ, explaining to him the simplicity 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 41 

of faitli, urging hira to prayer, and by the mercies of God be- 
sought him to repent, and come to Jesus. By the thrilling and 
encouraging example of the thief on the cross, I' endeavored to 
impress upon his mind the willingness and ability of the Saviour 
to save even to the uttermost; beseeching him, Peter-like, to 
launch forth and step right out upon the promises of God, and 
throw himself into the arms of the compassionate Saviour, and 
be saved. 

Time fled, the heat became more intense, his wound grew 
worse, mild lockjaw set in, his appetite began to fail, and frail 
nature began to give way. At our next call, with his noble 
countenance lit up with smiles, we found him indulging a hope; 
and with a spirit of meek submission, he said, " I feel perfectly 
resigned and happy lying here. I can say from the heart, not 
my will, but thine, O God, be done, in my case." "I suppose 
that rebel shot through your leg has, by grace, knocked the spirit 
of rebellion out of your heart, and brought you in submission 
to God's will. Oh, how rich the blessing to be resigned ! " 
Recently I heard a wounded soldier say, " I thank God for my 
wound ; it has brought me to the point." At times the lieutenant 
suffered very severely, yet he never murmured. 

Two days before his departure, we warned him of his danger 
and probably approaching dissolution ; yet without an emotion of 
fear, and resigned to God's will, he seemed to say, in the language 
of old Eli, " It is the Lord ; let him do as seemeth him good." 
Entertaining a hope that he had passed from death unto life, and 
giving bright evidence of a change of heart, a few days before 
his death, at his own request, after due examination, we bajDtized 
him in the name of the triune Jehovah. How solemn the 
scene ! There lies the brave hero, away up in the fifth story of 
the massive building, cheered and soothed by the warm-hearted 
kindness of Mrs. Dully, principal matron of the hospital. It 
was about midnight when we applied the outward emblem of 
the washing of regeneration. And having again invoked the 
blessing of God to accompany the administration of the ordi- 
nance, we gave him the right hand of fellowship, and his heart 
seemed to throb with thanksgiving to God and gratitude to man. 



42 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

Resigned to his fate, he had no fear of death. And fond of the 
word of God and prayer, I still read and prayed, two or three 
times a day, with him until the last. It is now July 13, near 
two o'clock in the morning, and he is still failing. His last 
sands are running, and yet how sensible and composed. Having 
given me some ringlets and precious mementos to send home to 
his friends, as his last dying request, he said, " Give my dying 
love to my father, mother, wife, brothers, and sisters." 'He stood 
the conflict of life till near twelve the next evening;, when the 
silver cord was broken, and his noble spirit took its flight, we 
trust, to the realms of endless bliss. His mortal remains were 
sent home in a few days. 

The following letter from Chaplain James Marshall, U.S.A., 
will be read with much interest. This captain died in Chesa- 
peake Hospital. 

THE DYING CAPTAIN. 

When Capt. P was brought to the hospital, he said that 

slight wound through his wrist could not kill him. The bones were 
fractured, and his whole hand was badly inflamed. The surgeon 
was anxious to amputate, as soon it would be impossible to cut ofl" 
the disease, when the whole system would become diseased by ab- 
sorbing the poison. The captain refused to have his hand am- 
putated, as he could not well support a wife and a family of small 
children with only one hand. His heart was blessed with good 
natural affections, but piety did not ennoble them. They were the 
beautiful flowers springing up amid the most noxious weeds around 
a den of vipers. His heart grew hard as his hand grew worse. His 
frame grew weak ; amputation now would only hasten death, if not 
cause it at once. The surgeon might cut off the wrist, but he could 
not the disease. One Sabbath morning, while in his room, he told 
me he might not live, and evinced great anxiety about sending home 
at once his effects. He wanted to get his pay, to settle up with the 
Government, and then send money and effects to his wife. AVhen 
earthly affairs were properly arranged, I very plainl}' referred to 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 43 

tlie necessity of jireparing to settle his account with his God, and 
asked him how he felt in regard to death, and his own per- 
sonal preparation for such an event. Lying with his right side 
to the room, he cast his eyes upon the wall, shook his head, his 
face looking despair, and said, " I don't know. Pretty hard 
case." This very remark was a rebuke to a life of sin and neg- 
lect to prepare for death while in health. I spoke freely to 
him of Christ as the satisfier of divine justice, as the atoner for 
sin, as the mediator between God and man, and as the present 
intercessor at the court of Heaven for all sinners who would 
cheerfully and willingly trust in the great work he had done, 
and was then doing by his Holy Spirit, to save the most guilty 
among men. He was most solemnly attentive. I did not pray 
M'ith him ; but the story of the Cross was fixed in his mind. He 
was silent and thoughtful, and his manner spoke more than 
Avords. As I left him for other sick beds, whose occupants I 
wanted a word with before the religious services of the day, I 
heard his voice saying, " Come again soon : I can't talk ; but I 
love to hear you talk." 

About ten o'clock at night he sent for me. I was weary and 
worn ; had visited and prayed with a number of wounded men 
that day, four of whom died within a month ; had preached at 
10 A. M. ; held a Bible-class for soldiers at 2 P. M., and a Sun- 
day-school for colored servants of these officers at 3 J P. M. ; had 
preached at 4J P. M. in the military prison to about five hundred 
rebel refugees, blockade-runners. Union deserters, etc., and had 
conducted a most interesting meeting of soldiers for prayer and 
conference in the evening. But I went at once to his room. 
Just as soon as I entered, he told the story of preparing his 
effects that day to send to his family. I satisfied him that his 
pay could be drawn on the morrow, and all sent home with little 
trouble and expense. When satisfied on these things, I inquired 
how he had spent the day, and how he felt after our conversation 
in the morning. He replied, "I feel very serious — very serious 
indeed." 

" You want to be a Christian, a friend of Christ, do you, 
captain ? " 



44 CHRISTIAXITY IN THE WAR. 

" I do. I believe there is a reality in religion, and I want it." 

I then prayed with him, after trying to prepare his mind to 
come to Christ. During prayer, he would exclaim, " God grant 
it!" "Come, Jesus; come just now!" He was failing — 
growing weaker. I repeated the promises, and pointed out the 
significance of God's providences, and Christ's mercy; his will- 
ingness to pardon and give peace, if he were only willing to 
give np family, house, friends, the worl^l, all for Christ's sake ; 
let him cast himself a helpless sinner ujjon the merits of Christ's 
M'ork : believe in u'liat he had done for sinners. 

" But I have been," he said, " such a vile, guilty man ! " 
After showing him that the fact that he felt so convicted of his 
sin was cause for gratitude, — for it was evidence God's Spirit 
Avas working in his heart, — T removed quietly to one side, as he 
was tired and exhausted, and I wanted him to sleep. But soon 
he seemed in silent prayer, and whispering, in most plaintive, 
beseeching breath, " O Jesus, just now ! O Jesus, just now ! 
Come, O Jesus, bless my soul just now! " Then he spoke out, 
apparently to himself, "I can't understand; I can't understand." 
Arousing up, I asked him what it was he could not understand. 
"Oh, I can't understand how to get religion." Here man's 
weakness is so plain, I felt like leaving the bedside in despair. 
But Christ says, My grace is sufficient. Rejjeating those blessed 
promises, and urging him to trust his Saviour as a little child 
trusts his parents, he said, " Oh, yes ; I am willing to trust the 
Saviour. I have the disposition, but I haven't the ability to 
come to Christ. If I could only get a foothold — something to 
stand on." 

How true that experience. How childlike had become that 
rough, courageous, brave, profane, proud man ! Only divine 
grace can make such changes. After talking in quieting, cheer- 
ing, comforting words, I sat one side to let him go to sleep. Soon 
he was in prayer again. His hand he waved over his face in 
form of cheering, whispering, " Hurrah for Jesus ! hurrah for 
Jesus ! Oh, come, just now ! " Then he broke out in a strong 
voice, " Oh, glory, glory, hallelujah ! " and sang, in a most beau- 
tiful strain, 

"Jesus, my all, to heaven is gone," etc. 



CnmSTIANITY IX THE WAR. 45 

He was a changed man. He sang " The Star of Bethlehem," 
and other most beautiful hymns, showing he had had a religious 
training. The nurse had been giving him water at times, and 
observing most intently his experiences. After singing "The 
Star of Bethlehem," he said, " Oh, I feel that I had a most joy- 
ful night." He kept talking, and praying, and singing for some 
time. At one time he would grieve for his sins. " Oh, that I 
had served the Lord in the days of my youth." Again : " I 
wish I was able to grasp the very essence of religion." The wife 
of another wounded officer in an adjoining room had come in to 
see him, and, while getting him some ice-water, he asked for 

some. I told him Mrs. J was getting some. "Is she? 

God bless her ! I came here a perfect stranger, and how many 
have been my friends. Everybody has been so kind to me. 
How thankful I am. It shows there is a blessed reality in reli- 
gion. How I have been prayed for ! The church, the con- 
gregation, my father and mother, and friends, God bless them ! 
how they have all prayed for me. But what an ungrateful, 
wicked sinner I have been — a poor, despised sinner." Then he 
broke out into prayer, " O Jesus, save me ! O Jesus, save me 
just now! " He spoke of his family with such deep interest, — 
of his little children ; related some anecdotes of them ; wished he 
could see them once more. When telling him that a Christian 
character was the richest legacy he could leave them, " I know 
it," said he. "I believe it; oh, yes. I wish I could have them 
here to-night, arranged along before me ; how I would like to 
talk to them — • give them good advice ; but God wills it other- 
wise." I told him freely that life's hardest lesson, which he was 
learning by trial, was to submit to God's holy will. He knows 
best. We should be thankful for this world, where, through 
the Holy Spirit, we can prepare and fit ourselves to meet our 
Saviour and our earthly relatives and friends in another and bet- 
ter world. Then, his face glowing, he sang out — 

"Cheer me onward, 
Cheer me onward, 
Cheer me onward, 
Just now I " 



46 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

Becoming reconciled and quieted, he passed into a rest which 
seemed the peace of heaven. Thus passed the niglit until three 
o'clock A.M., when I left him asleep. 

He lived eight days from that time in which God converted 
his soul. Nothing but grace on the heart, teaching the joys of 
heaven and the hope of glory through Jesus Christ our Lord, 
makes such changes in these dying men. He was all this time 
mild, cheerful, gentle, submissive, resigned to God's will ; and 
when he died, it seemed as though he was gazing upon the very 
splendors of the eternal throne, so clear and implicit his trust m 
the mercy and power of the Lord and Saviour. 



CHAPTER III. 

SKETCHES OF SOLDIERS. 



" When I go into Battle, I put Jesus in Front " — A Hero of 
Plymouth: "I will Fall Right into His Arms" — "Jesus is 
Precious to Me Now" — "Why did You Call Me back?" — "I 
don't Fear Nothin' at all " — " The World is Hollow and 
Empty" — "I came out to Conquer or Die" "They left Me 
for Dead " — " Good-by, Old Arm ! " — " Put the Bright Side 
out to Mother," he said, as he died — " Oh, if I only could!" 
— "I am Happy, Day and Night" — Value of the Union: 
" Pray, Labor, Fight for It." 

"WHEN I GO INTO BATTLE, I PUT JESUS IN FRONT." 

AT my first interview with Lewis Lovett, 2d Regiment U. S. 
Colored Vol., Co. C, we found him prayerful, penitent, pa- 
tient, brave, and fluent in religious conversation. He said he had 
been serving God thirty-two years, and seemed to be a decided, 
earnest Christian. I said to him, " How does the Saviour ap- 
pear to you?" He replied, "He is dear and sweet; and I am 
determined to hold on to him, let what else may come." " When 
I go into battle, I put Jesus in front; and if I fall, I will hold him 



% 

CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 47 

fast.'' " I have no fear in battle." " No fear ? " " No." " Wliy 
not ? " " Because I put Jesus in front ; and if I fall, I know he 
will save me." " Perfect love casteth out fear. Oh, what an 
exalted privilege ! What a glorious attainment ! ready and will- 
ing to die for your country, and prepared ' to die in the Lord.' " 
Thanks be to God for such faith and heroic patriotism. It is 
worth more than earth's loftiest throne, or brightest laurel ever 
won upon the field of battle. " Don't the shock of battle, the 
roaring cannon, the whizzing bullet, and the bursting shell, 
affright you? Don't the streaming blood, the groans of the 
wounded and dying intimidate you ? " " No ; with Jesus in 
front, none of these things move me ; neither count I my life 
dear to myself, so that I may win victories, aid in quelling the 
rebellion, and, if need be, die for God and my country. I go in 
for crushing out the rebellion at all hazards, though blood flow 
to the horse's bridle, and death come up to the window." " You 
seem to have courage like a martyr, and faith almost equal to 
Abraham." " I don't know, but I suppose not. I am a poor 
sinner ; but with Jesus in front, and the everlasting arms be- 
neath, I fear no evil. God says, ' No evil shall touch thee.' 
With God for my help, and with Jesus in front, and holding 
liim fast, striving, watching, and praying, I expect to go on 
fighting the ' good fight of faith ' until God says, ' Depart, and 
come up higher.' " 

" You seem to have no doubts of salvation ?" " No ; I passed 
the Slough of Despond and doubts long ago, and now, by offer- 
ing up prayers and supplications, with strong crying and tears, 
I strive to ' go on to perfection,' and I feel very happy. With 
Jesus in front to direct, guard, protect, and sustain me, I fear 
nothing but sin, and nobody but God. I expect soon to die ; but 
I have no fear of death. Death is only a change — nothing but 
a departure. ' To die is gain, and to depart is fiir better.' I 
won victories on the field of battle, but when I die, I expect to 
win a far more glorious victory." 

" How did you attain to this high degree of assurance and 
comfort? " " Besides striving to 'walk worthy,' I just take God 
at his word, and try to act as though I believed what he says. I 



48 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

stagger not, but step right out upon the promises of God, like in- 
trepid Peter, when he walked upon the water to go to Jesus. Jesus 
said, ^Come,' and Peter stepped forth, treading the mighty deep, 
' nothing doubting.' When God commanded Abraham to sacri- 
fice his son, he went forth and oifered him without waiting, 
doubting nothing. When God bade Noah build an ark, he 
obeyed, went forward and built it." " So, I suppose, it is with 
you, when God says do this or that ; you go forward with implicit 
faith and do it." "Yes, that's it — whole-hearted faith 
IN God, doubting nothing. When I ask God in faith*, I 
expect, believe, and know he will hear me." "You colored 
people have long prayed for liberty ? " " Yes ; we have long 
prayed and wrestled with God for it." " You expected it ? " 
" Yes ; we were sure of it. We knew that God said, ' Let the 
oppressed go free,' and we knew he would bring it to pass." 
" The great secret of attaining this assurance is unshaken 
faith in God. It is all summed up in tioo words — believing 
and DOING." " Yes, that's it, — believing and doing with all your 
heart. Just take God at his word, and do what he says. I strive 
to be faithful to God and my country ; and I expect to cling to 
the cross and stand by the flag till I die." 

a hero of PLYMOUTH: "I WILL FALL RIGHT INTO HIS ARMS." 

I became acquainted with John H. Baenett, Co. H, 101st Pa. Vol., 
some two years ago, at Plymouth, N. C. At our first interview, he said, 
" The army has been a good place for me ; " and he went on and gave me 
an account of his conversion, which occurred since he enlisted in 1861, at 
New Brighton, Pa. He endured the hardness of the Peninsula campaign, 
and for many months the miasmatic atmosphere of swampy North Carolina, 
and the shock of all the battles in which the 101st was engaged. He was 
regularly at prayer-meeting, at church, Bible-class, and a frequent, welcome 
visitor at my quarters, to get religious books, and talk about religion. He 
would often meet with a few colored people, read the Bible, talk and pray 
with them, and had concluded to study for the ministry. He often assisted 
me in distributing papers and tracts to the regiment. His captain called 
him " Our Chaplain." 

He was severely wounded April 19, 1864, while supporting the pickets 
during the heavy siege at Plymouth. When the battle was over, after he 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 49 

had lain on the cold ground for several hours, the rebels took him into the 
hospital, and laid him down near the fire with their wounded, and seemed 
to treat him kindly. Here I visited, read, preached to and prayed with 
him, surrounded by some forty wounded rebels. Though apparently mor- 
tally wounded, he was calm, patient, composed, and resigned. Not an 
expression of fear or complaint fell from his lips. Intimating to him, one 
evening, that he would probably die before morning, and pointing him to 
Jesus, I said, " Do you think he will save you? " " Yes," he said ; "7 will 
fall right into his amis ! " How glorious to fall on the field, battling for 
his country, and yet fall into the arms of Jesus ! Putting his hand into 
his pocket, he drew out his Testament, stained with his own blood, and 
gave it to me, together with his diary, pocket-book — containing some 
sixty-seven dollars — and his coat-buttons, to send home to his widowed 
mother. Though unable to get up, or turn himself as he lay on the floor 
suflering from his wounds, he took it all very patiently, as though he was 
reposing "in the arms of Jesus." He was a good fellow, a faithful soldier., 
and evidently a devoted Christian. 

At my last visit, at his request, I read, kneeled down by him and prayed 
for his salvation. Oh, how very much I regretted to leave him and the 
rest of our wounded. With weeping eyes I bade him a long farewell, to 
meet no more on earth. He died, I heard, shortly after, and doubtless 
" fell into the arms of Jesus," and his soul went from a rebel hospital home 
to heaven, where there will be no more war, pain, nor death. 

Very early next morning, we. Gen. Wessels, his staff, and a few other 
officers, started for Libby on an old tug-boat, up the Roanoke River. 

A. S. B , 

Late Chaplain lOlsi Pa. Vol. 

"JESUS IS PRECIOUS TO ME NOW." 

The wharf to which the patients of the U. S. General Hospital, 
Fortress Monroe, Va., were brought, was near three-fourths of a 
mile from the hospital, at the mouth of Hampton Creek. Here they 
were brought in on Government steamers at the rate of from one 
hundred and fifty to eight hundred a day. From this point the 
patients either walked, were hauled in ambulances, or were car- 
ried on stretchers, to the wards, and laid on their narrow beds lo 
suffer, get well, or bleed and die, and fill a soldier's grave, as God 
had appointed them. It was a sad sight to see a large steamer 
crowded with brave men, bearing scars of honor, with bleeding 
wounds and amputated limbs, patiently waiting the attention and 
comforts of the hospital. Here, on these crowded transports, we 
4 



60 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

walked among the living and the dead, and often found the suf- 
fering heroes, some in the last stages of life, and others in the 
agonies of death. Here they lie, strewn all over the boat, calm, 
quiet, and composed, and sometimes, when they had just come 
off the gory field flushed with victory, as at the capture of Fort 
Fisher, or the fall of Kichmond, with hearts glowing, and eyes 
sparkling with patriotism, they were in the best of spirits, and 
full of jubilation. And while some were thus exulting over 
victories won by valor and courage upon the field, others we 
found glorying in the Cross, and rejoicing in Him who conquered 
on Calvary, and through whom we can conquer, even to the last 
enemy — Death ! 

On one of the dog-days of August, 1864, three boat-loads of 
patients (some four hundred in all) were brought down from 
Deep Bottom, among whom were two dead officers, and a great 
many very severely wounded, with amputated legs and arms. It 
was while passing around among these brave heroes, endeavoring 
to learn their spiritual condition and catch the dying words of 
the dying, that we came to one suifering severely, whose first 
words, after he recognized me, were " Jesus is precious to me 
NOW." "Jesus -precious to you now? Oh, how rich and 
striking this spontaneous manifestation of faith, joy, and comfort. 
Yes, although just from the gory field of battle, with the loss of 
an arm and much blood, and lying among the dead and dying, 
yet with Jesus precious to your soul, you must be very happy ? " 
" Yes, chaplain, I am happy. With Jesus precious, whether in 
sickness or in health, whether in prosperity or adversity, in life 
or in death, we can say, ' all is welV It is not in the place we 
occupy on earth ; it is not in the friends about us ; it is not in 
worldly engagements or earthly emoluments. No; it is in enjoy- 
ing Christ's gracious presence that makes us happy. Enjoying 
his smiles, though the world may allure and devils prowl, we 
have nothing to fear, and can rejoice with a joy unspeakable and 
full of glory." 

Jesus is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother; and 
although he may, for a while, sometimes withdraw his smiles 
from his children, to try them, yet when they have sufficiently 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 61 

felt the rod, he withdraws the frown and restores the joys of his 
salvation. All earthly friends may forsake us, but Jesus never. 
It is a law of his kingdom never to forsake the least of his sub- 
jects. Hence his farewell promise, "Lo, I am with you always," 
should always give comfort and consolation to his followers, 
whether at home, abroad, or amidst the clash of arms and the 
shock of battle. It will matter but little who else may be absent, 
or whatever may be your circumstances, with a sense of God's 
presence and with Jesus precious to your soul, your peace will 
flow like a river. 



"WHY DID YOU CALL ME BACK?" 

It was early in May, 1864, while making my regular rounds 
among the sick, wounded, and dying, that I came in contact with 
Moses Bowman, 15th Ya., Co. F, whom I found, at our first inter- 
view, indulging a hope that he had passed from death unto life. 
In God's good providence, it seems, enlisting under his coun- 
try's flag had been the means of his enlisting under the banner 
of the Cross. There is something connected with army life and 
with battle scenes well calculated to impress and awaken the 
sinner. The solemn pause, the awful suspense just before a 
battle, together with the dread of death and the awful forebodings 
of the eternal world, are well calculated to arouse the most care- 
less. Hence, conversions among the most wayward are not 
unfrequent in the army. It was some such impressions, it 
seems, received during the thrilling scenes of battle, that led the 
subject of this sketch to repentance. "God, who out of the 
mouths of babes has ordained strength, has his own way of 
doing his work." He who shoots his arrows when, where, and. 
how he pleases, can make the whizzing of a bullet, the groans 
of the dying, or the lightning's vivid flash, the means of the 
soul's salvation. And aroused from his slumber and convinced 
of his sin, Moses Bowman began to pray on the field of battle ; 
and there, pleading for mercy, it seemed darkness fled, light 
dawned upon his soul, God smiled, the Spirit wooed, Satan was 
dethroned, and Christ enthroned upon his heart ; and with a soul 



52 CHRISTIAXITY IN THE WAR. 

leaping for joy and a heart swelling with gratitude, he was enabled 
to exclaim, " All is bright/' and " I am happy in God." Yes, 
though clothed in garments stained with blood, and surrounded 
with the dead and dying, with the stern reality of eternity rising 
in full view before him, yet calmly reposing in the arms of Jesus, 
and longing to depart, he said, upon recovering from a sinking 
spell, which brought him nigh unto death, " Why did you call 
me hackf " " I saw Jesus and the angels waiting to receive me." 
And now with his enraptured soul so filled with joy that he was 
enfeebled thereby, or from his wound, he said, " My mind is so 
weak, I can't enjoy it well." The Rev. John Welsh, an earnest 
Scotch divine, wlio spent eight hours out of twenty-four in prayer, 
Avhen about to depart, enjoyed such an ecstasy of joy that he 
exclaimed, with his dying breath, " It is enough, O Lord ; it is 
enough : hold thy hand ; thy servant is a clay vessel, and can 
hold no more ! " Somewhat similar seemed to have been the 
feelings of Moses Bowman as he stood upon the threshold of 
glory. His last words to me, according to my record, were, 
" God blessed me.'' Whether he got well, or soon went home to 
heaven, I know not. 

" I DON'T FEAR NOTHIN' AT ALL." 

A sense of shame and the fear of man are tM'o great hindrances 
in the discharge of religious duties. Perseverance and courage 
are equally alike necessary to win and conquer at the foot of the 
Cross as they are upon the field of battle. Yea, more ; for it 
requires more strength and moral courage to face the world, the 
flesh, and the devil, than it does to face the blazing charge and 
the belching cannon's mouth. To stand firm for your country's 
flag requires much undaunted courage ; but it requires more to 
stand firm for the cross of Christ. 

And it was while we were passing through " New Camp," 
canvassing the hearts of the colored patients, that the brave 
words heading this article fell from the lips of the brave Edward 
Draper, 45th U. S., Co. H., while he lay upon his bed, suffering 
•with rheumatic pains, as I was talking to him about the matchless 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE' WAR. 53 

love of Jesus, and he telling me about what great things the 
Lord had done for him. "And have you no fear?" "No." "No 
fear of death ?" " No ; I trust in de Lord all de time for every- 
thing." "And so you are satisfied?" " Yes; God gives me what 
I need, and '■ I dovHt loant.'' " " Will you please give me a brief 
sketch of your history? When were you converted?" "About 
two years ago." " Where ? " " In New Jersey." " What led to 
your conversion ? " "Light. I prayed to de Lord, and I received 
light; then I knew I was in darkness." "How did you feel, 
when you received the light ? " " Me felt I was a very great 
sinner." " How did your sins appear to you ? " " My sins seemed 
very great and heavy, and my heart felt hard, and me felt very 
bad and unhappy. Then me prayed on to de Lord ; me broke 
off from my evil ways, and all of a sudden, when I was prayin' 
and meditatin' about de blessed Saviour, I felt as though a great 
burden rolled off my back, and dare, while wrestling with de 
good Lord, I believe Christ was formed in my poor soul, and I 
felt a great change come over me. And now I pray day and night, 
and feel ready to go whenever de Lord calls me." " No fear ? no 
want ? and ready to die any time ? — what a glorious attainment ! 
How did you make such progress in holiness?" "Oh, I just 
trust in de Lord, and pray day and night. Christ is very dear and 
precious. I goes to church, when I can, to hear of Jesus. I 
serve him. And it is a glorious thing ! " " What is a glorious 
thing ! " " Religion, and to enjoy this assurance of salvation ? I 
would not be without it for all the world. What is a man 
profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul ? 
Yes, it is a glorious thing ! By it, Christ, the glorious Saviour, 
is made unto the believer ' wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, 
and redemption.' Through it we achieve a glorious victory, and 
receive a glorious crown. It is glorious on earth ; it will be far 
more glorious in heaven. That by which we rise above all 
' fear ' and ' want,' and by which we are made heirs of God, and 
receive Christ in all his fulness, and are made to reign and rule 
with him on his throne (Eev. iii. 21) in heaven, must be perfectly ■ 
glorious. All earthly glory and honor is nothing compai^ed 
with the honor and glory the glorious gospel reveals." 



54 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

"THE WORLD IS HOLLOW AND EMPTY." 

Notwithstanding the general similarity in the soldier's experi- 
ence, we find, on some points, a shade of difference in every 
individual case. Accustomed to hardness, suffering, and death, 
even with a well-grounded hope, they generally expressed no fear 
of death. At our first interview with John B. Moore, 1st Texas, 
Co. D, though conscious of his being mortally wounded, yet 
with an abiding hope, he said, " I feel perfectly resigned." Blessed 
with courage and self-reliance, T said to him, " You seem very 
calm, cheerful, and lively." " Yes, I do feel so ; and it is 
because I love God." Love to God is enough to calm the most 
turbulent and rebellious, and cast a lasting smile upon the most 
forlorn of earth. Linked to God's throne by the ties of this 
heavenly grace, it soothes the sorrows of the distressed, binds up 
the broken in heart, and comforts in circumstances the most 
adverse and trying. Constrained by the fire and strength of 
divine love, the heroic martyr dies at the stake with joy and tri- 
umph. And fired with this most noble of all principles, — of love 
to country and love to God, — the faithful dying soldier, though 
weltering in his own blood, in defending the honor of his coun- 
try's flag and the glory of his Saviour's cross, will shout victory 
in the last agonies of death upon the gory field of battle. Con- 
strained by this most powerful of all motives, our country has 
been deluged with blood and ridged with graves. And to buoy 
up, encourage, and console the suffering soldier in the hospital, 
there is nothing like it. Conscious of his own sins and unworthi- 
ness, John B. ]\Ioore seemed very penitent, and manifested a 
strong desire to live a righteous life, and die a triumphant death. 
His tender emotions, his anxious desires, his resigned and prayer- 
ful spirit, all gave evidence that the love of God was shed abroad 
in his heart. With a high appreciation of things spiritual, and 
a deep sense of the instability and vanity of things temporal, he 
said, " The world is hollow and empty." " Yes," I replied, — 

" ' This world is all a fleeting show, 
For man's illusion given: 
Deceitful shine, deceitful flow, 
There 's nothing true but heaven.' 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 55 

Solomon, with a very rich and a most varied experience, rollino^ 
in wealth and grandeur, and crowned with a brilliant success m 
a ruler on the throne, yet with all his wisdom and understanding, 
at the close of a most eventful life, in speaking of the emptiness 
of earthly things, exclaimed, " Vanity of vanities ! vanity of 
vanities ! all is vanity." What, we ask, signifies all the gold of 
Ophir, if a man is without the pearl of great price ? What sig- 
nifies the most extensive intellectual attainments, if a man is 
without an experimental knowledge of the way of salvation ? Of 
what value are all the laurels and victories won upon the field 
of battle, if the conqueror is at last conquered by Satan ? What, 
we ask, does it signify to sit on the loftiest throne of earth, if at 
last you make your bed in hell ? Then let us with meek humility . 
sit low at the foot of the Cross, and learn how to be wise, useful, 
and good. In talking about the ministers of Texas, I asked him 
if he had ever seen the distinguished Dr. Baker. "Yes," he 
said ; "I have often fed his horse when he was stopping at my 
father's house. He was the first man that ever showed me the 
Cross." With ups and downs, John Moore survived the struggle 
of life till Nov. 1, 1864, and gave up the ghost. 

"I CAME OUT TO CONQUER OR DIE." " THEY LEFT ME FOR DEAD." 

To hear the brave soldier recount the thrilling incidents of 
battle — the deadly charge, the hand-to-hand fight, and the 
bloody conflict — is enough to warm the heart and stir the soul 
of the most indiiferent and unpatriotic. Returning from visiting 
the sick and wounded, one day, as I approached my quarters, I 
fell in conversation with Robert Curtis, 1st U.S., Co. C, who gave 
me an astonishing account of his inhuman treatment, severe pun- 
ishment, and wonderful escape from the enemy. Pie was from 
Salem, N. J., and seemed to be a confiding, steadfast Christian ; 
said " he started to serve God twenty-two years ago," and, trust- 
ing in the Lord, appeared to have no fear of death. He was in 
the fight at " the springing of the mine," near Petersburg, Va., 
July 30, 1864. Said he, "As we went into it, I said, 'It's GorV.H 
work, and I am going into it. I came out to conquer or die ; ' " 



56 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 

and urging his colonel to go forward, in they plunged with twelve 
hundred men in his regiment, and so destructive was tlie battle, 
tliey came out with only nineteen. The idea that " it is GocVs 
work" urges on the religious devotee more than all things else 
besides. Impress the Turk or INIohammedan wuth this principle, 
and they will fight to the very death. Coming in close contact 
in that battle, Robert Curtis said, " One rebel ran his bayonet 
through my body, another shot off one of my fingers and bit my 
left arm." " Why, you must have had a real hot time of it ! " " Yes, 
chaplain, it was hot." "And what did you do to the bloodthirsty 
rebels in this severe conflict ? " "I shot five of them dead ; got 
one by the throat with my teeth, and tried to bite his big vein, 
but I failed to do it; and while he had me by the arm, I got loose 
from him, picked up a gun and shot him dead ; and falling down 
by him, the rebels jumped up and down on me, till the blood 
gushed out of my side so profusely they left me for dead. I 
laid there for three days, got better, and in three days the ' rebs ' 
came around and took me into the hospital, and I got well." 
Such is his wonderful story ; and did he not bear about with him 
in the body the marks of those ruthless rebels, we would look 
upon it as being almost incredible ; but when we saw the print 
of their voracious teeth in his arm, and saw the rent in his side, 
we could no longer doubt. " Your sufferings have been very 
severe indeed ; but they are nothing compared with the sufferings 
of Christ. You received five wounds on the gory field ; he 
received five on the bloody cross. You suffered pain of body ; 
Christ suffered agony of soul. You suffered the frowns of ene- 
mies on earth ; Christ suffered the frown of his Father in heaven. 
You suffered for the salvation of your country ; Christ for the 
salvation of the world. You suffered without seeing death; 
Christ suffered the ignominious death of the cross." 

The following extract is from the distinguished Chaplain 
McCabe. It denotes strong courage and a lofty patriotism in 
the wounded hero. Such acts of heroism deserve to be published 
all over the earth. I never learned the hero's name. 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 57 



" GOOD-BY, OLD ARM ! " 

In an hospital at Nashville, a short time ago, a wounded hero was lying 
on the amputation-table, under the influence of chloroform. They cut off' 
his strong right arm, and cast it, all bleeding, upon the pile of human 
limbs. They then laid him gently upon his couch. He woke from his 
stupor, and missed his arm. With his left arm he lifted the cloth, and 
there was nothing but the gory stump ! " Where 's my arm ? " he cried ; 
" get my arm ; I want to see it once more — my strong right arm." They 
brought it to him. He took hold of the cold, clammy fingers, and, look- 
ing steadfastly at the poor dead member, thus addressed it with tearful 
earnestness : " Good-by, old arm ! We have been a long time together. 
We must part now. Good-by, old arm ! You '11 never fire another carbine 
nor swin^ another sabre for the Government ; " and the tears rolled down 
his cheeks. He then said to those standing by, " Understand, I don't 
regret its loss. It has been torn from my body that not one State should 
be torn from this glorious Union." He might have added : 

" Some things are worthless, some others so good 
That nations that buy them pay only in blood : 
For freedom and Union each man owes his part, 
And here I pay my share, all warm from my heart." 

This is what that man gave. What is your share and mine? 



"PUT THE BRIGHT SIDE OUT TO MOTHER." 

Filial aiFection is one of the strongest propensities of the soul ; 
implanted in the human breast by God himself, it is a ruling 
passion of the heart. To love one's mother ardently is natural. 
A striking example of which is seen in the case of a little drum- 
mer-boy, as he lay dying in the awful abodes of Andersonville 
prison. The little hero had long endured the hardships and 
deprivations of prison-life with great patience and heroism ; but 
the severe suiFering and exposure at last proved too much for 
him. Reduced by hunger and disease, and crushed with rebel 
cruelty and revenge, frail nature gives way, and, with his cup of 
suiFering almost full, the day of his relief draws nigh. How 
sad and mournful the scene ! Draw nigh, and gaze upon the 
noble patriot. There he lies. Once cheering the home, and 
gladdening the heart, of his widowed mother, — now he lies low 
in the asonies of death. The heart that once throbbed with 



58 CHEISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

patriotic devotion is now sinking in death. The king of terrors 
closes in upon him, and, though dying amidst all the heart-rend- 
ing scenes of Andersonville, yet, with a heart gushing with filial 
affection and love, his thoughts fly home to the parental roof; 
and having cheered and comforted his dear mother during life, 
he is most tender and faithful to her in death. And being well 
aware of the severe stroke his death would prove to her, he 
endeavors to lighten it ; and, with his dying words, pours into 
her smitten heart the living words of strong consolation. It is 
the last act of his life ; and, commending his soul to God, he 
bids his comrade come to him, and, as he bent down to catch his 
last words, he whispered into his ear: "Put the'BEIGHT 
SIDE OUT TO MOTHER ! " And with a few more struggles, his 
noble soul passed away, crowned with the honors and glories of 
martyrdom. 

" Thank God ! the battle is fought ; the victory won ; and his 
soul is saved. But, alas ! " said his faithful friend, as he bowed 
his head, and wept bitterly, " what side is bright in this terrible 
prison - life f It is all darkness, horror, and gloom." His 
remains were interred in the gloomy graveyard close by; but his 
comrade's life was spared to tell the sad story to his bereaved 
mother. 

Mark the sublime courage, strong, filial affection, and patient 
resignation of this noble boy. Though his soul was harassed, 
and his heart pierced with rebel cruelty, yet not a murmuring 
word fell from his lips. Oh, what deep depths of filial affection, 
moral grandeur, and glory breathe through those immortal 
words, "Piti the bright side out to mother ! " What a noble and 
magnanimous principle they exhibit ! They deserve to be written 
in letters of gold, and embedded in the heart of every youth. 
Let them be written upon the broad canopy of heaven, that 
every son and daughter of the land may read them. How 
sublime and Christ-like this example of filial affection ! It is 
second only to that exhibited by the Saviour himself on the 
cross. Having loved and served his Saviour in his life, here we 
see how he acts like him in his death. Jesus, with his soul wrapped 
in the deepest agonies of the cross, laying down his life for his 




E. P. ROE. 



CHUISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 59 

people, with a heart gushing with care and aifection for his mother, 
charges his disciple, John, to take care of her, and, with his dying 
words, says to him, '^Behold thy mother.''^ * The drummer-boy, • 
though dying amidst all the horrors of Andersonville, laying 
down his life for his country, with a heart glowing with filial 
aifection, says to his comrade, ^'Put the bi^ight side out to mother /" 
The Saviour and the drummer-boy both seemed to be more con- 
cerned about their mothers' sorrows than about their own suffer- 
ings. 

"OH, IF I ONLY COULD! " 

At my first interview with Samuel Williams, 104th Pa., Co. 
E, I found him careless and prayerless. Though low with rheu- 
matism, he still remained impenitent, yet not destitute of religious 
emotions and desires. I endeavored to explain to him the sim- 
plicity of the plan of salvation ; and when I urged and besought 
him by the mercies of God to repent and come to Jesus, he earn- 
estly exclaimed, " If I only could ! Oh, if I only could .'" " You 
pan, if you will,^' I replied. "What hinders you from coming?" 
" Oh, I don't know ; but I feel as though I cannot." " Perhaps 
you have never tried it ? Did you ever try to pray ? " " No, not 
much." " There is nothing to hinder you but yourself. God is 
willing; the Spirit is wooing; and Jesus is able and waiting. 
Yes, the Lord waits to be gracious. 

' Jesus ready stands to save you, 
Full of pity, love, and power.' 

Jesus having made ' all things ready,' now most earnestly warng 
and most tenderly invites you to look and live, believe, and be 
saved. If you refuse to come, and go down to eternal death, it 
is your own fault. It is the sinner's voluntary ' cannot ' that 
keeps him away from the Saviour. Jesus nowhere says ' Ye can- 
not ; ' but he expressly says, ' Ye will not come to me, that 
ye might have life.' (John v. 40.) Look with what a gushing 
heart the compassionate Saviour cried to wicked Jerusalem : ' O 
Jerusalem ! Jerusalem ! how often would I have gathered thy chil- 

* That is Mary, the mother of Jesus. 



J 



60 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

(Ireu together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her 
wings, and ye loould not'' Yes, it is the sinner's ' ye would not ' 
and ' will not,^ not his ' cannot,' that keeps him away from the 
Saviour. Whose fault then is it that the sinner is lost ? Is it the 
fault of the church ? No. Is it the preacher's fault ? No. Is it 
Satan's fault ? No. Is it Christ's fault ? No ; for he has made 
an atonement sufficient to save the whole world, if they will only 
accept of it. Jesus has fulfilled the law, satisfied divine justice, 
given himself a ransom, paid the i^rice, 'redeemed us by his 
blood,' wrought out salvation, and given his Spirit to ajyply it, 
and now says, ' What could have beon done more to my vine- 
yard that I have not done.' Then let the important question 
come home to every sinner's heart. Whose fault is it, if he is lost ? 
It is his own fault. He loses his own soul. He works out his 
oum destruction. 'And,' says an old orthodox divine, 'he dies, 
because he ^cill die.' Going on in sin, he is treasuring up ' wrath 
against the day of wrath.' And yet you say you can't come to 
Christ. You can, if you will. Only make up your mind, and 
resolve, like the penitent prodigal, ' I will arise,' and go, and 
you will soon find the way. Perhaps you have never sought 
God earnestly, and say you canH without making the proper 
eifort. God says, ' Ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye 
shall search for me with all your heart.' (Jer. xxix. 13.) Are 
you willing to come to Christ?" "Oh, yes; I am willing, if I 
only could." " Christ's ability and willingness to save you is 
beyond a doubt. He says, ' Whosoever will, let him come.' Jesus 
is ' mighty to save.' You seem to thirst for salvation. And the 
risen Saviour says. Ho, every one that thirsteth, ' come.' To the 
man with a withered hand, God said, ' Stretch fo7ih thy hand ; ' 
and immediately he stretched it forth, made whole as the other. 
God said to the valley of dry bones, ' hear,' and they heard. He 
said to them ' live,' and they lived, rose, and stood upon their 
feet, an exceeding great army. And although you may think 
yourself unable to come to Jesus, yet if, like Peter, you will only 
make the effort, strive with all your might, and throw yourself 
right into the arms of Jesus, he will grasp and save you. Oh, 
then, rise ; come with all your hindrances ; come with all your 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 61 

weakness ; come just as you are ; look and live ; believe, and be 
saved. May God help and bless you." 

"I AM HAPPY, DAY AND NIGHT." 

James A. Cunningham, Co. C, 96th Ohio Vol., constrained 
by a sense of duty to his country, volunteered in her service in 
August, 1862. After a few months' hard service, he shared in 
the honors of the first battle of Vicksburg, in the following 
December, and shortly after he took sick; and after suffering 
severely for months, from exposure, was taken to the U. S. Float- 
ing Hospital, at Milliken's Bend, La., by Rev. B. W. Chidlaw, 
whom he afterward called to him, as he was passing through the 
hospital. After a short interview, by way of introduction, the 
minister inquired into his religious prospects and feelings ; where- 
upon he replied, " / am happy, day and night ! " " Happy, day 
and night, here, so far from friends and home, floating on this 
sickly, frail craft ? " " Oh, yes ; Jesus is my all in all, and I 
am happy." It is not the place nor surroundings that make 
us happy. No ; if " without God," we may have all that heart 
could wish, and still be miserable. But if we can only say from 
the heart, " Jesus is my all," we will always be happy anywhere. 
With Jesus for our prophet, priest, and king, we may say with 
the Psalmist, "In thy presence is fulness of joy; " and then 

"Let cares like a wild deluge come, 
And storms of sorrow fall — " 

And let the world allure ; the flesh entice ; and Satan shoot his 
fiery darts dipped in sin's poisonous bowl ; yet, with God for our 
portion and Jesus for our all, we can " bid farewell to every fear," 
and say " all is well." In a letter to his father, a short time 
before his death, he said, " Father, I feel satisfied. I hope I 
have no fear of death, I have my Bible and, more than all, 
my God, near me day and night ; and I pray secretly to him to 
watch over me, and prepare me for every trial that awaits me on 
earth, and fit me for entering that rest where the wicked cease to 
trouble, and the weary are at rest." Patient, and resigned to his 
Father's will, and enjoying his smiles, he rejoiced in tribulation. 



62 CHRISTIAXITY IN THE WAR. 

Although for a long time severely afflicted with rheumatism and 
chronic diarrhoea, yet, sustained by God's grace, he lingered till 
May 3, 1863, when " the silver cord was loosed, and the golden 
bowl was broken." God gave him his discharge, and, doubtless, 
took him home to heaven, a few days after he had received his 
honorable discharge from the service of his country. His mortal 
remains were taken home to his native place in Delaware County, 
Ohio, and decently interred, amidst the tears of a bereaved 
mother, father, brothers, sisters, and friends. 

The following extract is taken from one of the author's letters, 
written before he entered the army, while laboring in the Rocky 
Mountains of Colorado. 

Atlantic Slope, Rocky Mountains, •^ 
Buckskin Joe, C. T., Oct. 15, 1862. I 

The religious operations of this isolated territory are moving on as 
usual ; interrupted, of course, more or less, by the all-absorbing interests 
of the war. Detached, as we are, from the seat of the great, fierce, and 
mighty conflict, we feel it perhaps less than most other sections. Yet we 
feel it sensibly here in the Rocky Mountains. Colorado has furnished her 
full quota of troops to defend the glorious old flag. My eyes fill with tears 
while penning these lines, when I think of the gross, indignant contempt 
with which that flag has been used. God grant that it may again soon 
wave untarnished over our whole country. For this let us unitedhj pray, 
act, and fight. How awful, terrible, and oh, how humiliating, this war ! 
And yet we fear the people are not yet humbled because of it. Some have 
asked the question, Is the principle at stake worth all that it is costing us 
in treasure, blood, agony, and tears? Yes, and infinitely more! What is 
treasure, what is life, and what is death, when a great eternal pri?iciple is 
at stake? What is half a million of lives, and all the gold in America, to 
the life of a great and prosperous nation ? Yes, what is all this to the 
life of civil and religious liberty? Oh, then, let every loyal heart gird on 
the sword ; and let Zion awake, and put on her strength, plead and pray 
for deliverance from this unhallowed rebellion. 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAE. 63 

CHAPTER IV. 

THE FALL OF PLYMOUTH. 

The Rebels Attack Us, April 17, 1864 — The Garrison numbered 
ABOUT Nineteen Hundred Men fit for Duty — Excitement 
Great — Alarmed Women fled to Me, Crying, "Come and 
Pray for Me! " " Come in and Pray for Us ! " — The Army and 
Navy Both Engage at Once — The Scene was Grand, Awful, 
Sublime — Rebel Iron -clad attacks our Gunboats — Fight 
Severe — Lieut. Flusser Killed — The Garrison Overawed 
by the Rebel Ram — " The Combat Deepens " — " In the Last 
Ditch " — Hard Fighting — The Capture — Gen. Wessels Sur- 
renders — Massacre at Plymouth — Visiting the Wounded — 
Preached in a Rebel Hospital — Prayed for a Rebel Sol- 
dier. 

IT was on a mild, beautiful Sabbath-day, April 17, 1864, about 
five o'clock, p. M., when all was quiet, that the rebels, under 
command of Gen. Hoke, began the siege of Plymouth. They 
commenced the assault with a heavy fire of artillery upon Fort 
Gray, some two miles above the town, on the Roanoke River, 
commanded by Capt. John Brown, of the 85th N. Y. Vol., wdio, 
with his brave few, gallantly defended it to the last. About the 
same time an attack was made upon our pickets in front ; where- 
upon a small detachment of the 12th N. Y. Cavalry was sent out 
to see, who, after a short skirmish with a loss of one man killed, 
and Lieut. Russell wounded, soon returned to announce a strong 
force in that quarter. The alarm now suddenly spread all over 
town, and many of the women, frantic with fear, came to me, 
trembling and weeping, crying, " Come and pray for me ! " " Come 
in and pray for us ! " all with most intense anxiety inquiring 
what to do to be saved ? 

I had preached in the morning, and Chaplain Dixon, of the 
16th Conn., was to preach at night; but the distraction and ex- 
citement were so great that the sexton failed to ring the bell ; and 
we had no evening service. A few of the praying men of my 



64 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

regiment had a prayer-meeting in their quarters. It was a good 
time to pray. 

A ]|ittle after dark, the spirited firing at Fort Gray ceased ; 
and, aside from the activity occasioned by sending our sick and 
the ladies to Roanoke Island, on a small steamer, a solemn silence 
pervaded doomed Plymouth, with the men all at their posts, 
ready for any emergency. An attack had been expected for 
several days ; and Gen. Wessels, with characteristic sagacity and 
foresight, made due preparations for it. Early Monday morn- 
ing, the stillness of the night was broken by sharp firing above 
the town, indicating the rebels' determination to take Fort Gray ; 
and in the struggle, the Bombshell, a small gunboat, was so 
disabled that she dropped down the river, and sunk opposite 
Plymouth. 

Nothing of special notice occurred on Monday, but occasional 
firing by the enemy, and a warm skirmish along our picket-line, 
wounding Capt. Burke. 

The Ilassasoit returned from Poanoke Island with some two 
hundred men, commanded by Capt. Mays, of the 101st Pa. Vol., 
just in time to engage in the severe conflict. Now comes the tug 
of war in earnest. The fierce struggle for swampy Plymouth be- 
gins to wax hotter and hotter. The bloodthirsty rebels thus 
far had fired only upon our outposts ; but now, Monday evening, 
just at sunset, a heavy line of infantry, emerging from the woods, 
drove in our pickets in front ; and obtaining a favorable position 
for their artillery, they soon opened upon the town, with shells 
flying from five or six batteries at a most terrible rate, paying 
particular attention to Fort Williams, where Gen. Wessels had 
established his head-quarters. It was just after supper; and 
having gone over to the head of my regiment, the band of the 
16th Conn. Vol. struck up and played a few patriotic airs, to ani- 
mate and encourage the soldiers'hearts for the approaching struggle. 

Presently the music ceases ; and although it was dangerous, 
yet fearing no evil, I was not afraid as, though unconscious 
of danger, I stood undismayed amidst whistling bullets, 
balls, and shells, while all around me dodged and juked be- 
hind the breastworks. By this time (little after dark), all the 



CHEISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 65 

artillery on both sides, and our gunboats on the river, were 
brought into action, and the fierce conflict now presented a scene 
brilliant and grand. Graced with the silver light of the full 
moon shining brightly, dimmed only by the smoke of battle, 
and eager for victory, there they fought for some three hours 
with perfect desperation. The long sheet of flame issuing from 
the rebel lines in front, and the heavy storm of balls and shells 
bursting forth from our artillery and the gunboats, filling the air 
with balls, sheUs, and burning fuses, together with the groans of 
the wounded and dying, presented a scene awfully terrible, grand, 
and sublime. Men who had been through the Peninsula cam- 
paign said, for awfulness, grandeur, and glory, it excelled any- 
thing they had seen. Finding, with a heavy loss, after a long, 
persistent attempt, their efforts to storm our works and take the 
town proved unsuccessful, and feeling that our fire was too hot 
for them, they abandoned the fight for the night, to renew it 
again with increased vigor. 

Meanwhile, an assault had been made upon Fort Wessels, a 
small detached work lying about a mile to the right front, com- 
manded by Capt. Chapin, 85th N. Y. Vol., who, with a handful 
of heroic men, bravely repulsed heavy charges of the desperate 
odds of a brigade, frequently driving them back with the bayo- 
net and hand-grenades, until their ammunition gave out, and the 
brave, noble-hearted captain, receiving a mortal wound, was 
overpowered, and finally compelled to surrender, having, it was 
said, killed nearly as many rebels as he commanded men. He 
died soon after. Peace be to his ashes. Encouraged by the cap- 
ture of this fort, the enemy now sent in a staff-officer, under a 
flag of truce, and demanded a surrender of the garrison. This, 
of course, was peremptorily refused, notwithstanding a rebel 
force of some fifteen thousand was said to confront us. 

SEVERE NAVAL FIGHT. 

Very early Tuesday morning, just after the setting of the 
moon, embracing the darkness of the hour, the iron-clad rebel 
ram Albemarle came floating quietly down the Roanoke River, 



66 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 

and passed Fort Gray (receiving a few shots) arid our 200- 
pounder at Plymouth ahnost unobserved ; and approaching our 
little fleet of wooden gunboats, she ran into the Southjield, com- 
manded by Lieut. French, as she lay tied to the lliami, and 
soon she began gradually to sink. Lieut. Flusser, the brave 
commander of the fleet, soon began to move upon the iron-clad 
with the Miami, endeavoring to sink her ; and while the ill-fated 
Southjield was gradually sinking, she was taking the Albemarle 
down with her. During this time, a most seve»e hand-to-hand 
fight was going on between the rebel crew and our seamen. Thirst- 
ing for victory, Flusser commanded a gun himself; but, most 
unfortunately for the fleet and the garrison on shore, he was 
struck by a ball rebounding from the Albemarle, discharged from 
his own gun, and fell mortally wounded on the deck of his own 
ship, with the lanyard in his hand, and soon after expired. "The 
command now devolved upon Lieut. French, who left his sink- 
ing ship," says Lieut. Longnecker, " and sprang aboard the 
3Iiami, and sailed down the river, whereupon the Albemarle 
was enabled to Avithdraw from the sinking Southjield, and she 
came to the surface with three feet of water in her hold, coming 
very nigh sinking. But the unfortunate Southjield went down, 
and," continues Lieut. Longnecker, " more than one hundred 
brave but deserted sailors were left to go down with her, and 
find a watery grave on the decks where they so bravely fought 
for their country." Some were fired upon by the hard-hearted 
rebels while attempting to swim ashore, calling for quarter. 
Says the same lieutenant, " Their drowning cries could be 
distinctly heard from where I stood. Only a few escaped." 
When day dawned, the Albemarle, now to us " the terror of the 
seas," was seen sailing about in the river below, and nothing 
but the smoke-stack and pilot-house af the Southjield could be 
seen. Thus deprived of our invaluable gunboats, and cut oft' 
from all possibility of reinforcements, the unwelcome prospect 
of a rebel prison began to stare us in the face. Yet " none of 
these things moved me." 

Nothing special occurred during Tuesday but frequent firing 
and shelling from Fort Wessels and the Albemarle, from which, 



CHRISTIAXITY IN THE WAR. 67 

to screen themselves, the men constrncted bomb-proofs. I found 
it no trouble to dodge a cannon-ball discharged a mile distant. 
Passing along the lines, I found the men, though fatigued, of 
good courage, and ready for more fight. It was astonishing to 
see what desolation the rebel ram had wrought at Compiler re- 
doubt. But there were five companies of the 101st Pa. Vol., com- 
manded by Capt. Compher, all still unterrified. This was the 
evening before the capture next morning. 

THE LAST STRUGGLE. 

Toward Tuesday evening, tlie rebels were seen moving and 
massing their forces on our left to assault the town at our weak- 
est point ; and about midnight they opened a brisk cannonade 
on our picket-line, near Canoby bridge, to whicli our men spi- 
ritedly replied ; but, after a most desperate contest, were by over- 
Avhelming numbers overpowered, and compelled to give way. 
They fell back fighting, gallantly contending for the ground incli 
by inch. 

Here David Fisher, Co. H, 101st Pa. Vol., was killed; two 
more mortally and several others severely wounded. We were now 
in "the last ditch;" for a few hours before, all was compara- 
tively quiet; but it was a quiet that precedes the storm, for about 
daylight, artillery opened along the rebel lines — it would seem as a 
signal for a general assault — and in a few minutes more, a whole 
brigade, led by Gen. Pansom, furiously charged on us on the left, 
defended mainly by the 101st Pa. Vol., commanded by Lieut- 
Col. A. W. Taylor, concentrating their main force on Compher 
redoubt, commanded by Capt. Compher of the 101st Pa. Vol., 
who, with five companies of his own regiment and part of a com- 
pany of the 2d Mass. Heavy Artillery, most bravely defended it to 
the uttermost against overwhelming odds, until the rebels, rush- 
ing in, compelled them to give away. The rebels now rushed 
into town, and our men forming; accain gave them battle in 
street after street, repulsing tliem at diflerent points ; and thus 
bravely contended for their old quarters to tlie very last. In 
this severe conflict six of our horses were shot down on a caisson 



68 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

in quick succession. It was now about sunrise, Wednesday, 
April 20, 1864; and the enemy, having got possession of the 
town, pillaged the houses, robbed the stores, and took several 
hundred prisoners, I among the rest, who were marched over 
tlie rebel dead lying around Compiler redoubt, and on the left, 
some two miles down the Columbia road. The loyal North 
Carolinians and colored troops, after fighting nobly, and seeing 
that all hope of successful defence was gone, and well knowing 
their awful flite if captured, fled to the adjoining swamps. But 
our forces still held part of our works. Gen. Wessels, with the 
103d Pa. Vol., commanded by Col. Leghman, and a company 
of 2d Mass. Heavy Artillery, and part of the 16th Conn., still 
held Fort Williams, and over it our dear old flag still waved 
in all its glory. '^ Gazing upon it then and there, surrounded with 
liosts of rampant rebels, as we marched out of town, prisoners 
of war, it seemed peculiarly dear and precious. An irregular 
engagement took place between the rebel sharpshooters and our 
forces in and about Fort Williams, amidst which Gen. Wessels 
stood calm and serene. A short truce followed, when terms of 
surrender were proposed, which our general refused, and firing 
was again resumed. No further advantage M^as gained by either 
side until about eleven o'clock, A. m., when our flag was very 
reluctantly lowered, and the place surrendered. 

Thus ended the siege. Gen. Wessels, with a force of eighteen 
hundred men, defended the place for nearly three days against a 
rebel force of some fifteen thousand. The rebel loss in killed 
and M'ounded was estimated at about fifteen hundred ; ours at two 
hundred and twenty-five. The 101st Pa. Vol. had twenty-one 
l)rivates and two officers Avounded, and five privates killed. The 
103d Pa. Vol. had sixteen privates and two officers wounded, 
and one lieutenant killed. The 85th N. Y. Vol. had twenty-one 
privates and one officer wounded, and ten privates and one captain 
killed. The 16th Conn, had some twelve or fourteen privates 
wounded ; killed, unknown. The N. Y. Cavalry had one officer 
and one sergeant Avounded. 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 69 

MASSACRE AT PLYMOUTH. 

" During the whole afternoon after the surrender/' says Lieut. 
J. H. Longnecker, adjutant of the 101st Pa. VoL, a very reliable 
man, " we could hear the sharp crack of rebel rifles along the 
swamps, where they were hunting down the colored troops and 
loyal North Carolinians. I cannot say that the latter were shot, 
but the former were shot down wherever found. They were 
massacred after the surrender." I heard a rebel colonel say, 
with an oath, " That they intended to shoot every ' buffalo,' i.e. 
(North Carolinian) and negro they found in our uniform ; and, 
as far as I know, they managed to redeem the promise." For 
two days after the surrender, I heard very frequent firing in an 
adjoining swamp, and I always believed they were shooting our 
men. The Richmond Dispatch, quoting from the Philadelphia 
Inquirer, speaking of this awful tragedy, says, " Two full com- 
panies of the 2d N. C. Union (colored) Vol. were among the 
captured ; the most of whom were led out and shot by the enemy 
after surrendering." 

RAVAGES OF THE FIGHT. 

After returning from below, we were marched about a mile 
out the Washington road, where our captured host quartered the 
first night after the fall, before starting to our destined prisons. 
Through the kindness of a rebel major, I got permission to 
return to town for my satchel, and on entering my room found 
everything "topsy-turvy. My diary was torn up ; several of 
my most valuable devotional books gone. Library scattered, 
desk broken, trunk broken open and rifled, the house-floor torn 
up, papers, tracts, and letters scattered, coats, shirts, pants, 
blankets, satchel, Bible, sermons all gone, and everything in a 
state of perfect desolation. I filled my trunk with the scattered 
books and left them with Mr. Latham, an old resident, who let 
a rebel officer carry them off. I never saw nor heard of them 
afterward. Here, in this room, I pointed the anxious soldier to 
Christ ; and here in this room, while rebel shot and shell were 
pouring into the town for our destruction, my prayers ascended to 



70 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

God for our defence and protection. Going up into Col. Taylor's 
room, I picked up an old Bible, which I carried through Libby, 
used during the war, and brought it home for daily use. With 
stores and houses plundered, buildings demolished, riddled with 
balls and shell ; with the gunboats sunk and swept away ; with 
the hospitals crowded with wounded, the streets strewn with 
the dead and dying, and the dear old flag lowered, North Caro- 
linians and negroes massacred, and bereaved widows mourning 
for their husbands, and weeping because they were not, fallen 
Plymouth now presented a scene of horrible desolation and dis- 
tress. 

VISITING THE WOUNDED. 

During our stay at Plymouth, after the capture, surgeons and 
chaplains had the privilege of visiting the wounded. Several of 
our wounded were put in the same hospital with theirs. On one 
occasion I went in to see three of our men lying crowded in a 
room with theirs, and while conversing with and pointing them 
to Christ, a small, wounded North Carolinian boy, who seemed 
to be in deep anguish, beckoned me to come to him ; and as I 
approached him, he put out his feeble hand, grasped mine, and 
earnestly said, " Will you please pray for me ? " I knelt by his 
side, asked God to lead him to repentance, forgive his sins, and 
save his soul. He thanked me most heartily. The approach of 
death seemed to knock the spirit of rebellion out of him. He 
seemed very tender, penitent, and anxious to be saved. The 
scene was solemn and impressive. Bidding him farewell, I said 
to him, " Trust in the Lord, and prepare to meet thy God." He 
died soon after. This was in the ofticer's messroom of the 101st Pa. 
Vol., where we formerly passed many a lively joke, and enjoyed 
many a social confab. How changed is all now ! Here, where 
we cracked jokes and ate crackers, now lie dying rebels, bleeding 
soldiers, and heroic wounded patriots dying for their country. 
At the request of one of our mortally-wounded heroes, lying in 
another hospital amidst some forty rebels, I preached, sung, and 
prayed, and, with close attention, the meeting was deej^ly solemn 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 71 

and interesting. I counted hundreds of rebel wounded quartered 
in the largest houses in Plymouth. 

In visiting a large hospital down on Water Street, I found 
P. B. Mortimer, Co. F., 103d Pa. Vol., mortally wounded in 
the abdomen. Upon canvassing his heart, I found him, though 
conscious of approaching death, composed and tender, trusting in 
the Lord, and resigned to his fate. Although suffering severely, 
and with death staring him in the face, he gave no signs of fear 
or complaint. Having fought a "good fight," and now about 
finishing his course, he seemed to be waiting to receive a crown 
of righteousness laid up for him. Bidding him a long farewell, 
we parted to meet no more until the trumpet of God shall sound, 
summoning us to judgment. 



CHAPTER y. 

GOIISTG TO LIBBY. 

Order : " Be Eeady to Start for Eichmond To - morrow Morn- 
ing AT Four" — Sail up the Roanoke to Halifax — Take 
Cars — Enter Libby with Loud Shouts of " Fresh Fish ! 
Fresh Fish!" — They took Our Money — Life in Libby — 
All Sorts of Things Going On — Very Hard Place — Preach 
to the Prisoners — Big Congregation — Visited the Hospital — 
Not Allowed to Preach to the Sick — Released — Farewell 
to Libby — The Exchange — We Cheered the Dear Old 
Flag — Rebels Handle Our Men very Roughly — Belle 
Isle — U. S. General Hospital, Annapolis, Md. — Labors in, 
etc. 

HAVING spent some three days in captivity at Plymouth, 
about 11 o'clock, Friday night, orders came to our quarters, 
" Be ready to start for Richmond by four o'clock to-morrow 
morning." Now came the trial of leaving our wounded, whom, 
though apparently quite well provided with provisions, sur- 
geons, and nurses, it was hard to leave. Bidding them fare- 
well, and gathering up a few scattered books, blankets, etc., with 



72 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 

Gen. Wessels, his staif, and a few other officers, nineteen in all, 
we were marched down to the river before day, and got aboard 
an old tug-boat, and in a short time we bid good-by to Ply- 
mouth, and set sail up the beautiful Roanoke, under command 
of a wounded rebel major. Our fare was tolerably respectable. 
They furnished us two colored servants to wait on us, and pre- 
pare our meals. Being without any, Ave made wooden knives 
and forks to eat with. Sailing up the river, we were the object 
of all gazers. Having reached Halifax, we left our old tug, 
and took the cars for Richmond, and reached there early Monday 
morning. Having registered our names at the provost-marshal's 
<:»ffice, we were marched down to Libby, and were jocosely 
received by the inmates with loud shouts of " Fresh fish ! fresh 
fish !" As we went in. Major Turner, the prison-keeper, searched 
us for arms, registered our names and rank, and took our money. 
One of our men gave him six hundred dollars. But, to our great 
surprise, they refunded the money again. For this, we give them 
due credit. 

LIFE IN LIBBY. 

Libby prison is a large three-story brick building, one hundred 
and twenty by eighty feet, formerly occupied by " Libby & Son, 
ship-chandlers and grocers." It contained, when we were there, 
nine hundred and thirty captured officers, ranking from the 
brigadier - general down to first lieutenant. Sometimes the 
number rose to twelve or thirteen hundred. Some had been 
there, enduring all the hardships and deprivations, for twelve 
or fifteen months. With very scant, poor, rough, and unwhole- 
some diet, with some one hundred and fifty men crowded into a 
room, Avith no glass in the windows, and no beds but a blanket 
each man had the good fortune to provide himself, it was a very 
hard, miserable place. And yet Avith all these depriA^ations, with 
buoyant spirits and patriotic hearts, the men seemed to get along 
and look better than we AA'ould naturally suppose. Every 
morning there was a general skirmish and severe fight with the 
invading hosts of " graybacks." 

The employment in Libby AA*as various. "What did they do 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 73 

thei'e ? How did the captured patriots spend the long, wearisome 
montlis in captivity ? From splendid portrait painting down to 
card playing, they had a great variety of exercises. The men 
were usually divided oif into small squads or messes. Every 
man had his own quarter and sleej)ing-place. on the floor, though 
densely crowded all around him. Walk around, and see : There 
you see a man with his slate and pencil studying arithmetic ; 
there is another at geograpliy ; there is another writing home to 
his friends. A little farther on, you see two men busily engaged 
in making a wooden clock ; and then, off to one side, you see a 
small squad playing cards or chess to kill time. Approach that 
table, and there you see an Italian portrait painter minutely 
drawing the features and expression of a dark-eyed major. Twice 
a day we were all made to pass through a narrow door, and 
counted one by one, by the guard, in order to be sure no one had 
escaped. While thus dragging out a life so intolerable in these 
wretched abodes, our unterrified men were fighting the battles of 
our country on the field. Some of the prisoners often received 
boxes from home, and thus procured something respectable to 
eat. I took tea with a kind friend one evening, and our fare 
was respectable, considering. There was a stove and fuel for 
cooking, and soap for washing. The fare was a small ration of 
very rough, coarse corn-bread and a few worm-eaten black peas. 
The Kichmond daily papers* were brought in for sale every 
morning. With this daily routine, it was a hard way of serving 
our country. They had lectures, debates, etc., to break the dull 
monotony. 

PREACHING IN LIBBY. 

I had not been long within the massive walls of that terrible 
place until they found out I was a cliaplain, and invited me to 
preach. A room was selected, an hour appointed, and the people 
invited ; Bible and hymn-books procured, and, at the appointed 
time, we met in the name of Him who said, " Lo, I am with 
you always ! " and we had a very large, attentive congregation 
and a solemn, interesting meeting. I chose for the text God's 
precious, encouraging promise to Moses and the children of Israel, 



74 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

when they were in troubles and trials, journeying through the 
wilderness to Canaan, ^^ My presence shall go with thee, and I will 
give thee rest." (Ex. xxxiii. 14.) God's presence, essential and 
gracious, and the 7rst it affords. God is present, that, though 
prisoners of war, shut up in this stronghold in the rebel capital, 
yet the " Lord of hosts is with us," " God is our refuge and 
strength, a very present help in trouble," that Jesus Christ is here, 
waiting to be gracious, waiting to sustain, guide, guard, comfort, 
and save us. Though encompassed with the strong rebel guard, 
yet God was Avith us, and it was good to be there. The next 
day but one, I preached again on the attractions of the cross; 
and many were drawn together, and seemed by Christ's con- 
straining love to draw very near to God ; and the congregation 
was much larger and the services more solemn and impressive. 
Some of the Richmond clergy came in and preached occasionally, 
until one spoke contemptibly of our flag, and he could never 
get a hearing afterward. The people seemed to be hungering 
for the gospel, and anxious to hear preaching. Libby was a good, 
jiromising field for preaching, and therefore, with all its hardness 
and deprivations, I regretted, in some respects, to leave it. 

LIBBY HOSPITAL. 

The hospital, containing some ibrty patients, was down in the 
lower story of the same building. Through the permission of Major 
Turner, accompanied by a guard, I went down to see the patients, 
and having encouraged the hearts of the sickest ones and pointed 
them to Christ, besought them, by the mercies of God, to come 
to Jesus, and " be of good cheer." At their request I consented 
to stay, take supper, and preach for them that evening ; but the 
hard-hearted major would not allow it, and I had to go back to 
my own place, with the guard, before dark. The sick fared better 
than the well. They had bunks, mattresses, pillows, etc., but all 
were so awful dirty, that it was enough to make a man sick to sleep 
on them. There were but few very bad cases. 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 75 

FAREWELL TO LIBBY. 

During my short stay I made the acquaintance of many noble, 
generous, patriotic fellows, whom I regretted very much to leave 
incarcerated in that horrible place of torment. But now having 
witnessed something of the panorama of prison-life in Libby, 
right beneath the frown of " old Jetf," and having shared in 
their sorrows and trials, early Saturday morning orders came 
" for all chaplains, surgeons, and some twenty-five others, to get 
ready to start for the flag-of-truce boat." As the list of ex- 
changed officers was read out, all stood with profound silence, 
every one with intense anxiety waiting to hear his own name 
called. By hurrying, we soon got ready, and, hastening down- 
stairs, stood in double file in front of the prison, waiting "march- 
ing orders," with the prison windows densely crowded with 
anxious hearts witnessing our departure ; and as we started, 
many exclaimed, " Good-by, chaplain — good-by, chaplain," 
and with a hearty response, and with a falling tear, commending 
them to the God of all grace, we bade them farewell, sorrowing 
most of all to leave them in their forlorn, suffering condition. 
On reaching the boat, we found it heavily loaded and densely 
crowded with some three hundred and fifty half-starved Union 
prisoners from Bell Isle and Richmond. Many of them were mere 
skeletons, and pale as death from disease and starvation. On 
arriving upon the boat, they gave us small rations of good wheat 
bread and a kind of briny soup, which, not suiting my taste, I 
threw into the river; but the wheat bread tasted very well, 
after living so long on coarse corn and the hard, scanty fare in 
Libby. 

THE EXCHANGE. 

On arriving at City Point, the place of exchange, we again 
l)eheld our dear old flag, and cheered it heartily. What a 
cliange from the rebel to the Union flag ! from Libby prison 
to the sweet air of liberty, sailing down the flowing tide of 
the beautiful James. It was like emero-ino: from darkness to 
light. As we stepped off their boat into ours, we felt as though 
a heavy burden had rolled from our backs. 



76 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

And now began the exchange of the poor suifering soldiers. 
While their men, fresh from our prisons, looked stout and rugged 
and well-fed, nearly all ours looked pale, weak, and half starved 
to death. And how shocking to see how awfully rough they 
handled our men. I could but weep to see them toss them 
about almost like dead hogs. It was most cruel. Laborins; 
hard, I did what I could to comfort the poor fellows while going 
to Annapolis : I begged bread from the cook, and fed the most 
hungry. I preached and 'prayed with them, pointed them to 
the Saviour, and tried to comfort them with the consolations of 
the gospel. Sailing down the river, and it being the Sabbath- 
day, at the request of Col. Beech, I gave them a short sermon in 
the cabin. 

Touching at Fortress Monroe, Ave sailed up the broad Chesa- 
peake Bay to Annapolis, Md,, where our half-starved, sick, and 
dying patriots were taken to the hospital and well cared for ; and 
all the officers were granted twenty days' leave of absence to go 
home. But I chose to remain and labor- "for the welfare of 
the poor suffering soldiers." Having registered my name, and 
su])plied myself with a little necessary clothing, and being re- 
freshed with a good night's sleep, after writing out a brief sketch 
of the fall of Plymouth for a New York paper, we started out 
in search of the hospital, to see how those suffering soldiers were 
faring. And upon entering one of the wards of the naval 
hospital, my attention was drawn to a half-starved, fine-looking 
soldier, for whom Ave had begged bread on the boat tAvo days 
before, noAV struggling in the agonies of death, soothed by the 
tender affection of two kind lady - nurses. How solemn the 
scene ! Gaze upon the braA'^e soldier, noAv fighting his last battle, 
dying for his country ! See how he struggles ! the conflict 
rages ; the soul clings to its clay tenement ; death presses his 
claims; frail nature gi\'es way; reason is dethroned; and it is 
now too late to inquire into his spiritual condition, — but the 
calm smile resting upon his noble broAv, the manifest submissive 
spirit, together Avith his serene countenance, seemed to tell that 
he Avas getting the victory over the last enemy ! There he lies : 
time flies; life ebbs away; he gasps, struggles, and, though he 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 77 

seemed to die easy, yet the twitching of his face evinced that he 
felt the pain of dying ! He breathes on, till, presently, the wheel 
at the cistern stands still, and his immortal spirit, washed in 
Christ's blood, we trust, went home to God ! 

UNITED STATES GENERAL HOSPITAL, ANNAPOLIS, MD. 

And now, looking around us, we found oiu'selves in one of th« 
finest hospitals in the country. Occupying the neat, comfortable 
buildings and beautiful grounds of the U. S. Naval School, and 
washed by the swelling tide of the pure water of Chesapeake 
Bay, it is most delightfully situated, and enjoying the sweet, 
refreshing breeze rolling up from the " old ocean," and sur- 
rounded with a salubrious atmosphere, rendered it very con- 
ducive to the health and comfort of the patients. Superintended 
])y the discriminating and exacting Dr. Vanderkeiff, Assistant 
Surgeon U.S.A., everything was carried on with good order. 
Well supplied with surgeons and a good corps of faithful lady- 
matrons, and good rations, the patients fared very well. 

With a good chapel, organ, and choir, we had a good attentive 
congregation and very interesting prayer-meetings. With a very 
large, well-selected library and a good supply of papers, the 
patients were very well supplied with reading matter. 

Yet, with all these comforts and appliances, they could not 
keep death out of the camp. In spite of all their skill and 
attention, "the king of terrors" would invade their thick brick 
walls and tent wards and pluck oif his victims daily. To see 
the brave heroes drop off, and four or five consigned to the tomb 
in a day, was, to one not accustomed to such rapid mortality, 
deeply impressive. Here we met with a kind and generous 
friend in the laborious Chaplain H. C. Henries, U.S.A., at 
^vliose request we took charge of the religious work of the hospital 
<luring his absence East, And now there opened before us a fine 
field for Christian effort. Preaching, visiting the patients, and 
burying the dead, kept us very busy all the time. And, with- 
out time to particularize minutely, we had many very interesting 
cases and interviews with the patients, and here we formed many 
[>leasant acquaintances. 



78 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 

BELLE ISLE. 

Hard by Libby was the cruel Belle Isle, a prison for cruelty, 
more severe than Libby, situated on an island in the James 
River, opposite Richmond, on a low, sandy, barren waste, where 
the prisoners were exposed to severe heat in summer and ex- 
treme cold in winter. Here the rebels practised cruelties upon 
our unfortunate soldiers in a manner almost impossible to describe. 
With but a few ragged tents, about one-half of the men had no 
shelter at all. It was my privilege to labor for and preach to a 
boat-load of some three hundred and fifty men from this place 
of torment ; and such a half-starved, distressed appearance as 
they presented, was enough to make an angel weep. With eyes 
sunken, hair dishevelled, countenances pale and wan, and reduced 
to skin and bones, they looked more like walking skeletons 
than living men. 

To hear them relate their hardships, deprivations, and suffer- 
ings was truly heart - rending. There, they told me, " many 
starved to death, and many froze to death." One day a dog ran 
into camp, they said, and he was quickly snatched up, killed, 
skinned, and devoured by the prisoners with the appetite of a 
vulture. I have now in my possession a ration of corn-bread 
•given me over five years ago by one of those half-starved fellows 
as we sailed from Richmond to Annapolis ; it is less than two 
inches square, and less than an inch thick. This, with a gill of 
rye coffee in the morning and a gill of soup in the evening, twice 
a day, was all they had to sustain life. "Sometimes some of them 
got a mouthful of meat." Having there dragged out a life more 
intolerable than death itself, in this horrible place, many of them 
were sent down to Annapolis to die. But a day of retribution 
awaits those unmerciful oppressors and tyrants. Yes, it has 
already come upon them. Less than a year after, Richmond, 
the stronghold of rebeldom and of this unparalleled cruelty, 
was wrapped in flames, and the arch-traitor, Jeff. Davis, driven 
from his throne, caught, manacled, and imprisoned. " The way 
of the transgressor is hard. Be sure your sins will find you out." 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 79 

CHAPTER VI. 

U. S. GENERAL HOSPITAL, FORTEESS MONROE, VA. 

Location Fine — Buildings Splendid — Chesapeake Hospital — 
Bethesdian Chapel — Interesting Meetings — Reading-room 
AND Library for Patients— Hampton Hospital, Organized 

1862 — HEAD-(iuARTERS — " NeW CAMP " — CONTRABAND HOSPITAL 

— All Consolidated into One General Hospital in 1864 — 
Called by the Above Name — Disbanded in March, 1866 — 
Managed by Dr. Eli McClellan, Assistant Surgeon, U. S. A. 

— Hospital Garden — Very Extensive — Twenty-Five Thou- 
sand Head of Cabbage— Hospital Hennery — Camp Distribution 

— Soldiers came and went by Thousands — Chaplain Marshall 
Preached to Them by Night — Military Prison — Preaching 
TO THE Spirits in Prison — Gangrene Camp — Interesting 
Scenes — " None but Christ " — Arrival of Patients : from 
Two Hundred to Eight Hundred a Day — Transferring Pa- 
tients — Voyage to New York with a Load of Patients — 
Big Job for the Chaplain — A Patient Kissed my Hand — A 
Weeping Mother and Hard-hearted Surgeon — " All Fast on 
THE Potomac." 

STANDING off Hampton Roads, some two miles north of 
the fort, is the old Chesapeake Seminary building. Built 
of brick, it is massive and substantial, one hundred and sixty by 
sixty feet, six stories high, and well devised. With grand and lofty 
columns, and a towering dome surmounted with the glorious 
"stars and stripes," and overlooking the busy fort, Hamp- 
ton Hospital, the mouth of James River, and the long lines 
of ships and steamers playing therein, it is most beautiful 
for situation. Washed by the swelling tide, and fanned by the 
bland, invigorating breeze of the ocean, it is one of the most 
pleasant and desirable places in the United States. Captured 
in 1861, it was used a while for regimental hospital purposes, and 
was organized into a United States general hospital in INIarch, 
1862, by Dr. John M. Cuyler, then medical director at the fort. 
This is generally known as Chesapeake Hospital. 



80 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

Having spent about a month, immediately after my release 
from Libby prison, in the U. S. General Hospital at Annapolis, 
Md., I reported in person to the Secretary of War, who gave me, 
unasked, under his own signature, a leave of absence for twenty 
days. But not wishing to go home, and Fortress Monroe being 
the head-quarters of the department to which I belonged, I was 
afterward ordered to report there for duty. Here I arrived 
June 1, 1864, and reported to Gen, Butler, and was ordered to 
the above hospital for duty the next day. Here I met the 
laborious Chaplain James Marshall, U. S. A., who had been 
laboring here for the spiritual welfare of our brave heroes for 
some two years. Through his persevering efforts, he had suc- 
ceeded in raising funds at the North, and had erected a very neat, 
comfortable little chapel, hard by Camp Distribution and close 
by the. Chesapeake. Here the chaplains, delegates of the U. S. 
Christian Commission, visitors, patients, officers and soldiers, 
matrons and all, met from time to time ; and we often enjoyed 
most precious seasons of refreshing. Here the suffering patients, 
after lying for months upon their wearisome beds, when at all 
able to get out, would drag their crippled limbs and mangled 
bodies, on crutches, to church and the semiweekly prayer-meet- 
ing, where many would relate their religious feelings and ex- 
perience -with deep interest and powerful effect. Sometimes the 
whole congregation would rise to be prayed for. Here Chaplain 
Marshall and myself labored together, and for some three months 
preached in turns, and I always found it good to be there. The 
l)ulpit was very often supplied by delegates and visitors. Having 
no organized church, the converts were never counted. In this 
niain building I quartered and boarded till mustered out. Close 
by it were two large wooden star-barracks and a few tents, ac- 
commodating in all some eight hundred patients. 

Mr. Marshall collected a valuable and well-assorted library 
of some fifteen hundred volumes, which, together with a great 
variety of pamphlets, periodicals, and a rich supply of secular 
and religious papers and tracts, made a very interesting reading- 
room. Here the reader could always find on file " The Army 
and Navy Journal," and the daily papers from all parts of the 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAE. 81 

countiy. PIcre the soldiers went, read the news, wrote letters, 
and obtained books as they chose. The reading-room was a great 
light among the patients. It was in connection with the chaj)el. 
They had a Sabbath-school and Bible-class also. This hospital 
was the scene of much severe suffering, of many prayers, many 
tears, many deaths, and of some very striking conversions. Here 
many a sick and wounded officer and soldier, after suffering for 
months most severely, was at last relieved by death, and laid in 
a soldier's grave. Here, too, many a weeping wife and bereaved 
mother faithfully watched and tenderly nursed their sick and 
wounded, dying, sons and husbands. You could tell the patient's 
condition, whether better or worse each day, by the nurse's coun- 
tenance and expression. If the patient's prospects were encour- 
aging, and bidding fair to get well, you could see the cheerful 
expression beaming from the nurse's countenance as we sat by 
them at the table. On the other hand, if all looked discouraging, 
and death seemed to be approaching, you could see a solemn sad- 
ness in the eye of the anxious wife or mother. 

To this noted hospital and camp the coming and going of 
patients, soldiers, officers, prisoners, surgeons, visitors, and ma- 
trons were like the ebbing and flowing of the tide of the ocean. 
Superintended by Dr. Eli McClellan, assistant surgeon of the 
U. S. A., surgeon in charge, noted for his good executive ability, 
and managed more directly by the skilful surgeon. Dr. Rush, 
surgeon of U. S. Vol., and executive officer of this division, with 
all the modern improvements, and carefully managed internally, 
by Mrs. Mary B. Dully, directress, who, like Mary of old, " did 
what she could " to provide for and comfort the sick and wounded, 
the patients generally fared very well. It was called Chesapeake 
Hospital, and sometimes known as the Officer's Division. It 
was closed August 1865. 

Having labored here some three months, owing to the dimi- 
nution of patients in this division, I went over to the 

UNITED STATES GENERAL HOSPITAL, HAMPTON, YA., 

which was organized August 18, 1862, by Dr. J. M. Cuyler, 
Assistant Surgeon, U.S.A. Dr. E. McClellan was the first 



82 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

surgeon in charge, and was continued nearly three years. It was 
only about half a mile from the Chesapeake. It contained 
twenty-five good frame wards, well furnished with single iron 
bedsteads and good bedding, with everything convenient and 
comfortable. Each ward would accommodate about sixty pa- 
tients. It was beautifully laid out, and built in the form of 
a sharp triangle, or wedge, with comfortable board-walks all 
through it, and Avith two large dining-halls and two " side- 
kitchens " in the centre, with linen-room, dispensary, baggage- 
room, library, post-office, and head-quarters, at the base — all were 
very conveniently arranged. 

Besides those twenty-five " wooden wards," there were several 
large tent-Avards, containing each about one hundred patients, 
which, together with the guards and attendants, made in all 
usually about twenty-five hundred patients in this division. 

Built upon" a level plain, hard by the old aristocratic town 
of Hampton, always kept clean and neat, and overlooked by 
the lofty dome of the Chesapeake, and the Tyler House, and over- 
shadowed by the dear old flag, and surrounded with hospital 
tents, it looked like a little city, and presented a very neat ap- 
pearance. Here I met with the efficient Chaplain E. P. Roe, 
U.S.A. ; and Ave labored together very agreeably until several 
months after the Avar closed. This di\nsion Avas the scene of 
much severe sufl^ering and many deaths. It was devoted, during 
my stay, exclusively to private soldiers ; and, being the head- 
quarters of all the other divisions, in the fall of 1864 it Avas very 
much enlarged. Here the surgeon in charge had his office, to 
Avhich all the other divisions made their regular reports. In 
July or August, 1865, all the other divisions were consolidated 
into this. Soon after the fall of Richmond, the hospitals at the 
front began to disband, and the patients were brought here. 
About the 20th of July, 1865, Dr. McClellan, the old surgeon 
in charge, was relieved, and Dr. J. II. Frantz, Assistant Surgeon, 
U.S.A., succeeded him. 

NEW CAMP, 

or Division No. 2, established in the summer of 1864, and chap- 
lained by Rev. Dr. Charles Raymond, U.S.A., Avas composed 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 83 

entirely of tents. Situated upon a little eminence close by 
Hampton, and washed by the swelling tide, and favored with a 
fine refreshing breeze, the location was fine. It contained from 
ten to twelve hundred patients, comfortably situated in good 
tents. Everything about it was kept clean and neat, so that it 
was an interesting place to visit. Here, a great many brave 
soldiers fought their last battle, and many, too, gave every evi- 
dence of triumphing over death. It was afterward used exclu- 
sively for colored patients. Chaplain Kaymond, having charge 
of the public schools of the department, was absent very often, 
and consequently had pious soldiers appointed to go round, read, 
talk, and pray with the sickest or worst wounded patients, and 
note down their religious experience and the dying messages of 
those that died, and send them home to the bereaved friends. I 
very often visited this camp and did what I could in pointing 
the patients to Christ, warning and beseeching them to trust in 
the Lord. Here I met with many very interesting cases in 
religious experience. 

THE CONTRABAND HOSPITAL, 

or Division No. 4, accommodating about one hundred and sixty 
patients, was situated over beyond Hampton, in a very pleasant 
place. Although it was devoted more especially to the accommo- 
dation of the contrabands, colored soldiers were often sent there 
for treatment. They had no chaplain ; and when I could find it 
convenient, I went over, visited, conversed with the worst cases, 
and preached to them all. They seemed to appreciate it highly. 
During the summer and fall of 1864, this vast institution was 
rather a receiving hospital, where the patients were coming and 
going nearly all the time. They came at the rate of seven hun- 
dred, or more, a day; sometimes, and often, from two hundred 
and fifty to four hundred per day in Government steamers. 
They were sent North by ship-loads ; often in a state of health so 
low that several would die on their way North. All the different 
divisions were consolidated into one general hospital in the sum- 
mer of 1864, under the name of the United States General Hospital, 
Fortress Monroe, Va., and so remained until March, 1866, when 



84 CHRISTIAXITY IX THE WAR. 

it was all disbanded. Blessed with an almost constant refreshing 
sea-breeze, and being almost surrounded with water, the location 
was fine, and very conducive to health. For nearly three entire 
years of the bloody war, the whole was commanded by Dr. E. 
McClellan, Assistant Surgeon, U.S.A., who displayed fine execu- 
tive ability in managing it so successfully. 

THE HOSPITAL GARDEN. 

Close by Hampton Hospital was the hospital garden. With a 
rich, fertile soil in a fine state of cultivation, and superintended 
by Chaplain Roe, it was well managed, and worked by the pa- 
tients and convalescents ; it was well tilled, and yielded abundant 
crops. It was the biggest garden I ever saw. There must have 
been some sixty acres under cultivation, yielding the finest kind 
of vegetables, and many of them of a very early growth. The 
yield in the year 1865, according to the report of Chaplain Roe, 
was 25,000 head of cabbage, 800 bushels of beans, 100 bushels 
of carrots, 20 bushels of cucumbers, 75 bushels of beets, 5 bush- 
els of peppers, 20 bushels of salsify, 25 bushels of parsnips, 100 
bushels of squashes, 250 bushels of tomatoes, 2693 ears of sweet 
corn, 1100 cheese pumpkins, 1500 watermelons, 325 egg-plants, 
1000 bushel of Irish potatoes, 1100 bushels of lettuce, 104 
bushels of spinach, 364 bushels of pease, 11,760 bunches of 
onions, 11,465 bunches of radishes, 800 heads of cauliflowers, 
and large, fine patches of strawberries, etc. INIany of the patients 
having been so long without vegetables, they gave them a double 
relish for them. A nice dish of fine strawberries was very re- 
freshins: to the sick and wounded soldier. The ofiicers shared 
largely in the products of the garden. Dr. McClellan frequently 
sent a box of vegetables to Gen. Barnes, Surgeon-General, U.S.A., 
at Washington City. When the strawberries and watermelons 
Ijegan to get ripe, the garden was put under guard. The garden 
was a fine thing for the hospital. The vegetables were conducive 
to the recovery of the patients. 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAE. 85 

THE HOSPITAL HENNERY. 

Owing to the great demand for eggs and chickens in the hos- 
pital, and well aware of the value of this kind of diet among 
the patients, the surgeon in charge got up a hospital hennery 
hard by the hospital garden and graveyard. It contained some 
five or six acres of ground, traversed by a small ravine, with a 
little bayou of a small arm of the adjoining bay. Inclosed with 
a very high paling, it was very difficult for the fowls to escape. 
It was well furnished with neat, comfortable hen-houses and 
roomy coops. Here the doctor gathered in some fifteen hundred 
chickens, turkeys, and ducks. Overseen by a detached soldier 
expert in the business, the institution was well managed. And 
although the hens laid thousands of eggs and hatched over a 
thousand chickens, yet, owing to their being too much crowded, 
or from some other cause, they never seemed to do well. Yet 
the craving appetite of many a needy soldier was satisfied and 
his languishing system strengthened by the eggs, soup, and 
chickens furnished from this poultry yard ; and no doubt many 
a patient's life was saved by these refreshments. 

CAMP DISTRIBUTION. 

Hard by Chesapeake Hospital was Camp Distribution. 
Washed by the swelling tide of the limpid waters of Hampton 
Roads, overlooking the fort and the mighty ships and flying 
steamers ploughing the wide surrounding waters, the location 
was fine. With extensive barracks, and inclosed with a strong 
fence, with a secure guard, it formed a safe retreat for the so- 
journing soldier. Here the new recruit, the drafted soldier, 
the volunteer, and the returning veteran poured in from the 
North by thousands and thousands, and during the last eighteen 
months of the war some hundred thousand passed through this 
often crowded camp. Like the ebbing and flowing of the tide, 
they came and went daily by hundreds and thousands to all 
parts of the army and navy. Commanded by Capt. Blake, and 
guarded by Battery F, of the 3d Pa. Heavy Artillery, everything 



86 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

was kept clean and neat. With large crowds collected in these 
barracks, it afforded a very good opportunity for preaching. And 
here Chaplain Marshall would go, night after night, and administer 
to their spiritual wants. Entering the vast crowd at dark, he 
would commence by singing an interesting hymn, and having 
thus attracted their attention, he would preach to them the 
simple truths of the gospel, earnestly urging them, as they had 
enlisted in the service of their bleeding country, to enlist in the 
cause of a bleeding Saviour. Commencing in his attractive, win- 
ning way, he always succeeded in getting their attention, and 
then, in a warm, earnest manner, he gave many of the heroic 
patriots their last warning and urgent invitation, as they were 
going forth to fight for the salvation of their country, first to 
secure the salvation of their immortal souls. The meetings 
were solemn and interesting. And the chaplain, feeling that 
it was doubtless the last opportunity with many of them, with 
his heart warmed and soul stirred with the solemnity and im- 
portance of the occasion, was enabled the more earnestly to be- 
seech them, by the mercies of God, " to flee the wrath to come," 
. repent, and come to Jesus. Eternity alone will reveal the good 
accomplished in these meetings. 

Immediately adjoining this camp was the military prison, into 
which were gathered all sorts of criminals from the Uni(^n army, 
and hosts of rebel prisoners of all grades and characters. To see 
a gang of "Johnnies" stripped of their arms, clothed in tattered 
gray, with countenances fallen, hearts discouraged, each one 
dragging a flimsy blanket surmounted with a rusty canteen, 
presented quite a shabby appearance. In this stronghold, or 
" bull pen," as it was generally called, Union soldiers and oflicers 
were often, for very small offences, kept in confinement for 
months. They repeatedly sought redress, but it was difiicult to 
get, and always slow in coming. They had comfortable barracks, 
])artitioned off into small rooms, to dwell in ; but no beds but 
blankets in their bunks to sleep in. When any got very sick, 
they were taken to the rebel ward in the hospital. 

Their spiritual wants were supplied with Testaments, religious 
books, tracts, and papers. Besides, they usually had preaching 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAK. 8/ 

on the Sabbath — sometimes by a stranger, or a delegate of tlie 
Christian Commission, but generally by Mr. Marshall. Here 
this laborious chaplain would go with an armful of papers and 
tracts, and having distributed them to the hungry inmates, many 
of whom read them with avidity, he would assemble them 
together in the open air, and preach to them "Jesus, and the 
resurrection," telling them of their sins, warning them of their 
danger, and beseeching them by the mercies of God to repent, 
and embrace the Saviour. Here, too, I went occasionally, distri- 
buted papers and tracts, and " preached to the spirits in prison," 
urging them by the love of Christ, by the pains of hell, and by 
the joys of heaven, to cling to the cross. 

GANGRENE CAMP. 

A little to the left of the apex of Hampton Hospital, situated 
alongside of a little swamp, headed by a fine spring of good water, 
was the lonely Gangrene Camp ; made of tents, some good and 
some inf^'ior, some with plank floors and some without, yet 
being well kept, with the streets swept clean, it presented rather 
a neat appearance. 

The cooling spring, so convenient, added very much to the 
comfort of the wounded heroes. This camp was the scene of 
much veiy severe suffering. It was not until a patient's wound 
became badly gangrened, and they began to despair of recovery, 
that he was brought here, as the place of the last resort. Here 
tlie brave heroes would undergo the most severe pain for months 
and months, and finally die at last. Here they put in nearly the 
whole winter of 1864-'65, without any fire in their tents, which 
added much to their suffering from wounds and disease. Stoves 
were put up late in the winter, and added much to the comfort 
of the patients. Although this camp was furnished with a 
surgeon, ward-master, nurses, wound-dresser, and all the appli- 
ances of the hospital, yet, being off to one side, it was generally 
a somewhat forsaken and neglected place. Sometimes persons 
visiting it were not allowed to go immediately into other wards, 
lest they should convey the gangrene to other wounded patients. 



88 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

Besides, many did not wish to see so many severe "wounds, bruises, 
and putrefying sores." I visited it, preached to, read and prayed 
with, the patients very often ; urging the impenitent to repentance, 
and comforting the believer with the consolations of the gospel. 

It Avas on a cold, chilly night in November, near the hour of 
twelve, when I was called by the nurse to go and visit a patient 
lying nigh unto death in this lonely, cheerless camp. The pale 
moon was dimly shining, and the dim light feebly burning in 
the tent, when I lifted the curtain where the brave hero was 
lying, earnestly praying for his soul's salvation. On approaching 
him, he warmly grasped my hand, and, upon inquiring how he 
was, he replied, " I am very weak ; I don't think I am going to 
live long; and I have sent for you, hoping you could administer 
a word of comfort, and write a letter of sympathy and consolation 
to my wife and children." " I trust you are not without hope ? " 
" Oh, no ! I have a glorious hope. Christ is my only hope, and 
he is growing more and more precious every hour." 

" Th-e pious, heroic John Lambert, with his legs burned to the 
stumps, with his body pierced with ruthless halberds, with his 
fingers flaming with fire, with dying breath exclaimted, 'None 
but Christ! None but Christ!' Think you would be 
afraid to die?" "No, I think not. I die for my country, 
and, dying for Him who died for me, I have nothing to fear ; 
T don't fear death, thank God ! I trust He will give me the 
victory over it." " You seem to have it already J' " I have got 
the victory ! " said the dying Rutherford, and he left the world 
shouting glory. I asked him, " What word shall I send to your 
Avife and dear children?" "TeU them I died happy in Christ." 
He lingered a few hours, and God took him home. How striking 
the transition ! how glorious the change ! from a lonely, dreary 
gangrene camp to the throne of God in heaven ! Here, he wore a 
soldier's garb ; there, robed in Avhitc, he Avears a crown of glory, 
and bears palms of A^ctory. I A^sited two other patients at the 
same call ; one of Avhich Avas so far gone, it Avas then too late to 
get his dying message to send home to comfort his bereaved 
friends. He Avas a good man. Such Avere my visits to tliis suf- 
fering camp. 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 89 

Here we have witnessed some most glorious, triumphant deaths. 
Big sinners saved — " brands plucked out of the fire" — rejoicing 
in the Lord, shouting glory to God, and giving thanks for saving 
grace. Here we saw a wounded soldier with whom we had often 
conversed, read, and prayed, after several days' earnest seeking 
and praying, while we were' trying to explain to him the way of 
salvation, and urging him, to fly to Christ, all of a sudden ex- 
claim, " I have got it ! / have got it ! I have got religion ! " and 
he went on shouting " glory to God and hallelujah to the Lamb " 
to such an extent that it roused the whole camp. Here, too, we 
have seen the affectionate wife, burdened with anxiety, come 
several hundred miles to see her wounded husband; and on 
arriving, to her most sad disappointment, find him struggling in 
the agonies of death, with reason dethroned, unable to recognize 
her. It was a severe trial. But such is life, and such is death 
in the hospital. Here, too, we have seen the intelligent New 
England colored soldier, with his face and eyes so badly swollen 
with erysipelas that he could not see ; yet, enlightened by God's 
Spirit, and seeing Jesus with the eye of faith, give important 
instruction and advice to dying comrades lying around him, 
urging them, as the la^t act of his life, and in a most tender 
manner beseech them, be reconciled to God. With an eye and 
a countenance beaming with intelligence and probity deeply 
stamped with the image of Christ, and possessing clear and dis- 
tinct views of the plan of salvation, he was able in a few words, 
in an appropriate manner, to point the sick and wounded soldier, 
lying close by him, to Him whose blood cleanseth from all sin. 

ARRIVAL OF PATIENTS. 

During the time of the most destructive fighting, we often 
received from two hundred to five hundred patients in a day, 
and some days the number reached nearly eight hundred. And 
our hospital having better accommodations tlian those at the 
front, they usually sent us the worst and most dangerous cases. 
We often sent them North by ship-loads of five or six hundred 
each, to make room for more. During the summer of 1864, like 



90 , CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

the mighty waves of the sea, they came and went all the time. 
We frequently received large boat-loads of patients all wounded, 
many of them seriously and mortally wounded ; yet it was sur- 
prising to find them so calm, patient, and resigned. Inured to 
hardness on the march and in battle, and filled with a heroic 
spirit, they had learned not to complain. To see a large steamer 
crowded with them, lying upon their narrow couches, with bleeding 
wounds, shattered bones, amputated limbs, and parched tongues, 
was enough to move the compassion and rouse the sympathies 
of the hardest heart. And to gaze upon so many brave hearts, 
with limbs riven from their bodies, that not a State be riven from 
the Union, would stir the loyalty of the coldest patient. 

TRANSFERRING PATIENTS. 

During the summer of 1864, Hampton Hospital was more of 
a receiving hospital than a ho7ne for the sick and wounded soldier. 
Like the ebbing and flowing of the tide, the patients kept pouring 
in and flowing out all the time. They were brought in from 
" the front" by boat-loads, and transferred North by ship-loads. 
After a man had tried the realities and trials of hospital life a 
few months, he usually began to think about getting a furlough 
Jiome. And often patients severely wounded, and low with disease 
even, sometimes, when they were unfit to go, were gathered u]> 
and transferred. Sometimes ten or twelve would die on board 
during one trip to New York or Philadelphia They were often 
a good deal crowded, and frequently suffered for the want of air. 
Although a change of climate, besides the voyage, together with 
the idea of going home or homeward, were well calculated to 
inspire new life and vigor into the poor sufferers, yet many found 
a watery grave by the way instead of the smiles of kind friends 
and the comforts of home. While some were transferred when 
unable and unfit to go, yet doubtless many an emaciated patient, 
run down with chronic diarrhoea, and breathing an unwhole- 
some air, and often fed on an unsuitable diet, died in the hos- 
pital, who would have got well had they been discharged or 
furloughed and sent home. But, somehow or other, they were 



CHRISTIANITY IN' THE WAR. 91 

retained in the hospital until reduced to mere skeletons, and at 
last death came as a relief and closed the solemn scene. And 
although the patients were often handled quite roughly in being 
taicen to and from the transport, yet, tired of hospital life, and 
very anxious to go home, they ^vere nearly always ready to 
start. 

A^OYAGE TO NEW YORK. 

Late in July, 1864, I sailed with a load of five hundred and 
fifteen patients on the beautiful ocean-steamer Atlantic, Capt. 
Eldridge, in charge of Dr. Smith, Surgeon, U. S. Vol., for New 
York. The Atlant'iG was a very fine, large, fast -running ship, 
^\■ell fitted up for transferring patients, and, being so large, she 
could not get near the hospital; hence the patients had to be 
taken out to her in tugs and small crafts, which occasioned an- 
other handling of them to their disadvantage. With the last 
patient on board, taken in at a small hole in the side of the sable 
Atlantic, it was about noon, and the old gray-headed captain 
gave the bell a ring, and we set sail amidst the surging waves 
of the old Chesapeake lashing the bustling wharf of Fortress 
IVIonroe. On reviewing the patients^ and learning their condition, 
we soon found that we had got into " a big job/' for there were 
many bad, needy cases. One brave veteran, with an arm and 
leg both off, fatigued with his removal, fell from his bed, and 
hurt his wounds till they bled afresh. Yet, full of pluck, he bore 
it all very patiently. Others we found apparently nigh unto 
death, needing much attention; but they all survived the voyage. 
Some of the nurses seemed rather negligent, and, by administer- 
ing to his wants, I believe I saved the life of one poor frail old 
man. The labors of a chaplain are very much needed on board, 
when so many patients are being transferred. In making my rounds, 
we found one very low, weak patient, with whom we conversed 
and prayed in the hospital before we started, lying on his back, 
unable to sit up ; and, as I approached him, he was so glad that 
he grasped and kissed my hand most aifectionately, as he lay 
upon the floor attended by his kind brother. And though weak, 
yet within that frail body there throbbed a warm heart, beating 



92 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 

liigh with gratitude to God and his friends. Trusting in the 
Lord, he bore all very patiently, and seemed to have no fear of 
death. Lying in the same ward in the ship was the unfortunate 
soldier who was shot in the head, who lay beside him in the same 
tent in the hospital, accompanied by his kind, aifectionate mother. 
Crowded into a place poorly ventilated, they both, with all in 
that ward, suffered for the want of fresh air; and he who carried 
the minie-ball in his head grew worse by the fatigue of the 
trip. And it was very hard, when hcAvas carried off the Atlantic, 
to see the surgeon in charge of the patients received at New 
York, refuse the weeping mother the privilege of taking her 
dear son to the city hospital. " No," the surgeon sternly replied; 
" he must go to David's Island, with the rest of the patients ; " 
and the grieved mother wept like a child, saying, ''The 
Government will get no more of my sons for the army." Al- 
though the opportunity for preaching on the transport was not 
favorable, we gave them one or two short sermons during the 
trip. We had many very interesting seasons of prayer for and 
with the patients during the pleasant voyage. Frequently they 
would request to be prayed for. The weather was cool for the 
season, and the patients, with good beds and good rations, gene- 
rally fired well. We reached quarantine, ten miles below New 
York, in less than thirty-six hours, where we lay all night, and 
landed at the foot of Canal Street by seven o'clock next morning, 
July 29th, and by one p.m. we had all the brave boys trans- 
ferred to another boat for David's Island, some twenty-tive miles 
above the city. Though the work was laborious, I enjoyed the 
trip very much. It was an encouraging field for usefulness. 
Though duty called, we parted with the maimed and suffering 
heroes with reluctance. Having been detained two days in New 
York, we sailed Friday morning for Alexandria, Va., for another 
load of patients. And having rounded Fortress Monroe, with all 
its beautiful attractions, and sailing up the broad, beautiful Chesa- 
peake Bay, Me entered the wide-mouthed Potomac, with a fine 
view of Point Lookout on the right, Saturday evening at six, 
and soon anchored for the night, July 30, a little above Black- 
stone's Island. A beautiful Sabbath morning dawned, and by 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 93 

five we weighed anchor, and the gigantic Atlantic went on sub- 
limely, ploughing the murky Potomac, regardless of the Lord's 
day, until half-past six, when she ran aground on Kettle Bottom 
Shoals, opposite Homini cliffs, hard by the birthplace of General 
AVashington. Now came a hard day for the old gray-headed 
captain. At the stupidity of the pilot, he was sorely vexed. 
He, the crew, and the nurses, all worked very hard all Sabbath- 
day to get loose, but failed. They hitched on tug after tug to pull 
her off, but, being so deeply moored in the sand, she stuck fast. 
Sabbath evening I gathered up all I could in the catrin and 
]>reached to them. We had a very good meeting. Yet it was a 
hard way spending the Lord's day, which is so awfully disre- 
garded in time of war, and by boatmen generally. Having 
spent the Sabbath "all fast on the Potomac," we got loose on 
Monday, and sailed for Fortress Monroe; and I was glad to 
get back to the hospital. 



CHAPTER yil. 

THE RELIGIOUS WORK AT HAMPTON HOSPITAL. 

The Harvest, Great and White — The Prayer - Hall — No 
Church — Soldiers' Earnest Prayers and Eloquent Exhor- 
tations — It avas the Eloquence of the Heart, Melting All 
into Tears — Ward Prayer - Meetings — Interest Increas- 
ing — The Power of Prayer — Soldiers' Prayer-Meeting — 
Bush Prayer-Meetings — Preaching to Men on their Death- 
P>EDS — " The Last Morning." 

OWING to the diminution of patients at the Chesapeake, 
and having heard the Macedonian cry on the other side, we 
went over, and commenced laboring regularly in Hampton Hos- 
pital about the first of August, 1864. Here, with a large hospital, 
containing some two thousand patients, the field was great, white, 
ready to harvest ; and God, in his providence, as well as the sick 
and dying soldier, loudly called, "llwust in the sickle, and reaj)." 



94 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

Before we quit laboring at the Chesapeake, we occasionally visited 
Hampton. At the first prayer-meeting we attended there, June 
17, 1864, the people seemed cold and backward in taking part. 
The meeting was small, and, conducted on the voluntary principle, 
it seemed to drag. The time M^asted between prayer and praise 
denoted a want of interest. Yet praying right in the midst of 
so many sick, wounded, and dying soldiers, we deemed it a great 
j)rivilege to be there ; and, at the request of the chaplain, we 
took part in prayer and exhortation. The touching song, "Just 
before the battle, mother," sweetly sung by a few ladies at the 
close, was deeply impressive. Such was the first prayer-meeting 
at Hampton, where we met so often afterward and enjoyed such 
precious times of refreshing. A few days after, we again visited 
Hampton, and, after calling with a few of the old patients from 
the Chesapeake, we went back to the house of prayer, and we 
had a very good meeting. The spirit of the Lord was ^vith us, 
and there was much more life and devotion in the exercises. 
Several soldiers spoke and prayed. It was good to be there. 

Here we met with a generous, agreeable, fast friend in Chaplain 
E. P.. Roe, U.S.A., in charge of the spiritual interests of this 
division of the hospital, with whom we labored, hand-in-hand, 
till long after the rebellion was quelled and the country saved. 
Mild, modest, and unpretending in his nature, and progressive 
in his views. Chaplain Roe had a good tact to get Christians to 
labor in the vineyard of the Lord. 

THE PRAYER-HALL. 

Being without a chapel, we met in one of the dining-halls 
situated in the centre of the triangular hospital. The building 
was a mere shell — an upright frame, some two hundred feet long 
and about thirty wide, with a dingy table in the middle, around 
one end of which we met twice a week for many long, bloody 
months, and poured out our souls and hearts unto God for the 
salvation of the patients, the bereaved and loved ones at home, 
and for the salvation of our bleeding country. Being without 
any fire, and the hall being open, it was very cold in winter, and 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 95 

very uncomfortably warm in summer. But it was the best we 
could get, and, knowing that the blessing to be obtained through 
the prayer - meeting did not depend upon the house or place 
we met in, but upon the state of the hearts that meet, here we 
met regularly, and enjoyed many seasons of refreshing. Paul and 
Silas had a very happy meeting in the Philippian jail, with their 
feet fast in the stocks. And within the murky walls of this 
sombre hall the faithful soldier of the cross would drag his emaci- 
ated, mutilated frame upon crutches, to sing and pray. Accus- 
tomed to feats of daring and courage, men are less bashful in the 
army tlian at home. Trained to figlit upon the bloody field, they 
are not so slow and backward to take up the cross in the house of 
prayer. Partaking less of ^Hheform,^' our prayer-meetings in 
the hospital seemed to enjoy, or possess, more of " the power of 
God " than those usually at home. To see men hobbling along 
to the prayer-meeting when scarcely able to walk, and so earn- 
estly engaged in the great work of salvation, was truly encouraging 
and refreshing to the soul. The warm, earnest exhortation, and 
the fervent, heart-gushing prayer, told that many of the soldiers 
lived near the throne of grace. 

Sometimes the recital of religious experience, incidents, and 
purposes was most touching, eloquent, and powerful. Their 
little speeches were not composed, far-fetched or fine-spun phrases : 
no; it was the eloquence of the heart — big, earnest thoughts, 
bubbling up from the depths of the soul, struggling for utterance, 
and when they fell from lips set on fire by the Holy Ghost, it 
was like rain upon the mown grass. Gushing right out from 
the heart, their words were sharp, quick, and powerful, and, 
steeped in prayer, they sunk down deep into the heart Jind made 
a deep, lasting impression. Men, illiterate, with souls burning 
with zeal, would sometimes so electrify the whole congregation 
that all would melt into tears. To hear the young converts 
relate their own experience often arrested the careless, and stirred 
the soul of the Inkewarm professor. The interest was often so 
great, and the disposition to pray so strong, that it was very diffi- 
cult to get through in reasonable time. Sometimes we had fifteen 
or twenty prayers at one meeting. The hall being used for 



96 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

eating purposes In the daytime, we always met at night, and with 
but a few candles "dimly burning," stuck up along the rough 
sides of the hall, it always presented a gloomy appearance ; yet 
with our souls lit up by God's Spirit, and stimulated by the 
crisis of the dying soldier's soul, we often got very near the 
throne of grace, and the men often prayed as though they felt " I 
will not let thee go, except thou bless me." Praying-men from 
all quarters of the country putting up their prayers from this 
noted place, the prayer-meetings became quite a jioicer in the 
hospital. The happy seasons there enjoyed by thousands will, 
doubtless, be remembered throughout eternity. Such a spirit of 
union pervaded the meeting that we seldom inquired to what 
church a man belonged. Denomiuationalism was swallowed up 
in the great interests of the soul. 

These meetings were usually led by Chaplain Roe, but often 
by the author. We generally commenced by singing a hymn, 
and after reading a few verses of Scripture, accompanied with 
prayer and a few words of exhortation by the chaplain, the 
meeting was thrown open, and all cordially invited to lay aside 
all restraint and take part freely, and the liberty in praying and 
speaking fully evinced that the Spirit of the Lord was with us. 

In this same gloomy hall we had preaching every Sabbath 
night. In this the chaplains took turns, except when visitors, 
or the delegates of the Christian Commission, by request, filled the 
pulpit. The attendance was usually good, and sometimes very 
large, reaching five hundred or six hundred attentive hearers. 
With a good choir, graced with a well-played harmonium, they 
made the dusty walls of the old hall ring again with their en- 
chanting Music. We usually used " the Army and Navy Hymn- 
book," published by the American Tract Society. 

WARD PRAYER -MEETINGS. 

Seeing the field was so great, and the work so arduous, the 
chaplains labored to secure Christian effort among the patients. 
In this Mr. Roe succeeded well. And in this way we induced 
the patients to hold prayer-meetings in their own wards by them- 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 97 

selves. In several wards those little praying-circles were kept 
up regularly for months, and some of the more active Christians 
would go round and look up the scattered sheep, and gather the 
wayward into the fold. And in this way, we believe, much was 
accomplished. One soldier told me he was led to Christ by two 
men talking to him, one night, on picket. Another, while lying 
on his sick-bed, he said, was converted by hearing a man of 
the world read a chapter out of the Bible. I have frequently 
seen the Christian soldier earnestly talking Christ into his com- 
rade, and beseech him to be reconciled to God. This was obeying 
the divine command, " Go, work in my vineyard^ And if all 
Christians would only obey it, the cause of Christ would advance 
tenfold faster. " Why stand ye here all the day idle f " 

Tired of the lonely monotony of hospital life, the sick or 
wounded soldier, who has lain for months on his bed sore-back, 
is always willing and glad to hear a word of prayer and praise, 
and, coming from a soldier, it is often more effectual than from a 
chaplain. There was one good boy, George, of the 188th Pa. 
Vol., recently converted in the hospital, who took a deep interest 
in this work. He would often go round, talk to, read and pray 
witli the patients, earnestly beseeching them to repent, and come 
to the Saviour. 

The ward masters and matrons also did a good work in 
tliis way in their own wards. With these, besides the labors 
of the delegates of the Christian and Sanitary Commissions,, 
together M'ith the regular visitations of the chaplains and the 
rich sup])ly of books, periodicals, tracts, and all sorts of papers, 
the spiritual as Avell as the intellectual wants of the patients 
were well provided for. In visiting the patients we usually 
noted down their religious experience, and when they died, we 
sent home their dying messages to comfort and console their 
bereaved friends To go round thus, daily bending over the 
sick, wounded, and low-fevered cases, endeavoring to catch their 
last dying words, and learn their hopes and feelings, exposing 
ourselves to disease, though the work Was hard and laborious, 
yet we delighted in it. 

7 . . 



98 CHRISTIAXITY IN THE WAK. 

INTEREST INCREASING. 

After laboring a short time in Hampton Hospital, preaching 
daily in the wards, and by prayer, exhortation, and conversing 
with the patients, urging them to repent, and come to the Saviour, 
together with the regular Sabbath evening preaching and semi- 
weekly prayer-meetings in the dining-hall, in connection with 
the distribution of tracts, religious papers, pamphlets, and books, 
througli the blessing of God, the interest soon began to in- 
crease. Clouds of mercy gathered and burst upon us, and God's 
gracious presence and the strivings of his Spirit were evinced 
not only by the attentive ear, but by the enlarged attendance 
upon the preaching of the gospel, and increased interest in the 
regular prayer-meetings. 

The weather was now very warm, and the battles raging at 
the front, boat-loads of patients were brought in almost daily, 
with many very severely wounded, with arms and legs off, and 
shot in all parts of the body. Hence the stream of death rose 
very high, and flowed all through the hospital, carrying away 
from ten to twenty snifering heroes a day. The average mor- 
tality during the month of August, 1864, was a little over ten a 
day. And while death was raging so furiously, as though the 
■people were M^arned and impressed with the solemn fact, the 
desire for spiritual life increased. While some, being so " used to 
death," rather " made light of it," others, seeing so many dear 
comrades snatched away, wrapped in their winding-sheets, and 
borne to the dead-house on stretchers, were deeply impressed, 
and acting as though they felt, " I don't know but it may be my 
turn to go next," they began to consider their ways, and to 
prepare to meet their God. Still, death reigned : God's Spirit 
was poured out, and there was quite a shaking among the dry 
bones, and the people were enabled to speak and pray with great 
power. And while our armies at "the front" were winning 
glorious victories on the field, through grace the sick and wounded 
were achieving greater victories on their beds in the hospital. 
Although they could no longer wield the sword nor fire a cannon, 
yet, with their hearts fired with the Holy Spirit, they could wield 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 99 

an instrumentality In defence of tlieir country still more power- 
ful than either of these. What was it? Prayer ! faithful, earned 
prayer. " Prayer moves the arm that moves the world." " Prayer 
is literally, actually, and positively a means of power J^ " When 
Ethelred, the Saxon king of Northumberland, invaded Wales, 
and was about to give battle to the Britons, he observed near the 
enemy a host of unarmed men. He inquired who they were, 
and what they were doing. He was told that they were monks 
of Bangor, praying for the success of their countrymen. ' Then,' 
said the heathen prince, ' they have begun the fight against us ; 
attack them first.' " How clear and strong the king's faith in 
prayer as a means of power. " Prayer is no fiction." No : it is 
a reality. " It is," says Dr. Phelps — and God has purposed that it 
should be — "a link of connection between the human mind and 
the divine mind by which, through his infinite condescension, we 
may actually move his will." 

The orifice of the throttle connecting the boiler with the 
cylinder of a steam-engine is very small ; but it is an engine 
of mighty power. Gaze upon the Great Eastern as she lies upon 
the placid ocean. Not a wave is to be seen; not a wheel or 
a paddle in motion. All is calm and quiet. Lift the valve, the 
steam escapes, enters the cylinder, starts the piston, moves the 
huge crank, turns the ponderous wheel, and in a moment all is 
in motion, and the mammoth steamer ploughs the mighty ocean 
and heaves the very earth. And all done simply by lifting a 
little valve. " Behold how great a matter a little fire kindleth." 
So it is with earnest, importunate prayer ; though apparently a 
small, weak instrumentality, yet it is " mighty through God." 
Gaze upon the earnest supplicant in his closet; there, upon his 
bended knees, he lifts the valve of his gushing heart ; his desires 
escape, reach God's throne, and thus moves the powers of heaven 
and earth. The Saviour says, " If ye shall ask anything in my 
name, I will do it." "And all things whatsoever ye shall ask 
in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." " The effectual, fervent 
prayer of a righteous man availeth much." Jacob prayed, and 
had power with God, and prevailed. Gaze upon the thrilling 
scene of Peuiel, and mark the power of prayer. Jacob had 



100 CHRISTIANITY IX THE AVAR. 

Supplanted his brother Esau, and caused his furious wrath and 
murderous indignation to burn against him, and, being afraid, 
Jacob fled to Padan-aram for refuge. After a sojourn of twenty 
years he returned, and finds Esau's vengeance still burning against 
him ; but Jacob resolves to meet him, and to try the power of 
prayer to effect a reconciliation. And having sent his family and 
flocks over the brook Jabbok, he retires alone, prays, and wrestles 
with God, and prevails. The heart of Esau is touched, the rebel- 
lion knocked out of him, and his fratricidal revenge is turned to 
brotherly love and aifection ; and when he met him, he embraced 
him with a kiss and the warmest affection. 

And although our success in quelling the rebellion is generally 
attributed to the sagacity and ability of great generals and the 
hard fighting of brave soldiers, yet, doubtless, we owe it very 
much to the prayers of God's people. If the revenge and 
rebellion of Esau were quelled in answer to Jacob's prayer, could 
we not expect God's loyal people to pray down the rebellion of 
the South? If God delivered the captive hosts of Israel in 
answer to the prayers of Daniel, could we not expect deliverance 
from the great rebellion in answer to the prayers of the North ? 
What ! without fighting ? No. But the prayers of faith are 
always mixed Avith Avorks. Hence, Avliile the faithful Christian 
soldier prays as though God had to do everything, he fights and 
labors as though he had to do everything himself. Washington 
and CroniAvell fought braA^ely, doubtless, because they prayed 
ferA'ently. The colored people had been praying for liberty for 
years before their emancipation. God says: "Call upon me in 
the day of trouble, and I Avill deliver thee." And endoAved with 
the spirit of prayer, there commenced about this time among the 
nurses and patients of the hospital 

A SOLDIERS' TRAYER - MEETING. 

U. S. Hampton General, Hospital, ] 
Fortress Monroe, Va., Sept. 17, 1864. i 
It was on Friday evening, August 12, 1864 : a few of us had just 
returned from burying the mortal remains of five soldiers, and left seven 
more in the dead-house for want of graves. The meeting was opened with 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 101 

reading the tenth chapter of Isaiah, by Chaplain Roe, followed with some 
appro])riate remarks, and the singing of a few verses from the Army an<l 
Navy Hymn-book. The meeting Avas then thrown open to all, and the 
chaplain said, " We wish to have a free, social sofdlers' meeting." 

Soon one rose, and said, " The past week has been the happiest of my 
life. On this night a week ago, I went round, after prayer-meeting, and 
gathered up four comrades, and we went out in the woods to pray. We all 
prayed, and had a very happy time." He also spoke of the last words of 
a poor, dying soldier, who said, "The Lord is mine." 

Another rose, and said, " I never felt so happy ; " and, requesting the 
prayers of the congregation, sat down in tears. 

Another rose, and, with a trembling heart and stirred spirit, confessed 
his sins, acknowledged his unfaithfulness, and earnestly besought the 
prayers of all that he " might do right." 

Another, like the trembling jailer, "desired to be a Christian." He 
said he had Christian parents, and asked to be prayed for, " that God 
might bless his soul ; " to which many responded, " Amen ! Amen ! " 

Another boy, George, aged sixteen, said, " I have tried to be a Christian 
a week. I received a letter from my good old mother, and she encourages 
me much ; " and with a smitten heart he sat down, " all filled up." This 
same boy speaks and prays with wonderful power and effect. He goes 
about in the wards, talks and prays with the patients, and gathers up a 
little company, and goes out into the woods every day to have prayer- 
meeting. He says they always come back much refreshed. " Let us 
thank God, and take courage." Toil on, George, God will reward you. 

Another, more aged, soldier said, " I am filled full. I thank God for 
what I have felt to-night. Some say we can't be Christians in the army ; 
but we can be better here than anywhere else." He closed with shouting 
" glory," and seemed very much stirred up — said he felt happy. 

Another said, " It is twenty-five years, next Monday, since I found 
Jesus in a sugar-grove in Ohio. God found me a sinner. I feel very 
happy to-night." 

Another said, " It is good to serve God. I have tried it, and would 
recommend it." 

It was a happy, powerful meeting — a real " time of refreshing." Some 
of the speeches were really eloquent ; it was the eloquence of the heart — 
the Spirit of God speaking through the quickened soldier. We could but 
weep. It was truly good to be there. 

The gracious work still goes on, deepening and widening. The frail 
soldiers turn out very well. Some walk with crutches ; others, scarcely 
able to walk at all, drag their frail bodies to the dining-hall to sing and 
pray. We now have a hospital Union church of over fifty members, and 
still they come. Last night we had a most precious time. I scarcely ever 
saw such a disposition to pray. After the chaplain ended his remarks, he 



102 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

picked up the hymn-book to give out a hymn to sing ; but before he had 
time to open his mouth, some soldier was on his knees prJlying. We "go 
it on the voluntary system;" and very often, when one ceased praying, 
two more began at once. Eighteen led in prayer last night. We did n't 
take time to sing much. 

Brethren, pray for us ! "0 Lord, revive thy work ! " 



A PRAYER -MEETING IN THE BUSHES. 

When God's Spirit is powerfully poured out, it always 
draws men to their knees; and when man, just converted, gets 
a glimpse of the great things God has done for him in " pull- 
ing him out of the fire," with a heart overflowing with gratitude 
and burning with desire for the salvation of souls, he cannot help 
but pi'ay. Such was the feeling of the small squad of soldiers 
in Hampton Hospital. And wooed by the Spirit, and desiring a 
more retired place than the crowded, suifering ward afforded, 
they retired to the leafy copse daily for prayer and supplication. 
Armed with the sword of the Spirit, and the little Army and 
Navy Hymn-book, thither this little band of suppliants would 
daily resort to pour out their hearts unto God for the preservation 
of the country, and for the salvation of the sick and wounded. 
There, secluded from the world, and shut in with God, with no 
covering but the canopy of heaven, and no altar but the cross of 
Christ, they read, sung, and prayed ; and while the earth was 
drinking the blood of our brave veterans at the front, dying for 
the salvation of their country, their prayers ascended to God for 
the salvation of their souls. 

And so eager were they in this blessed work, that sometimes a 
few of them would collect and go out to pray, after the regular 
weekly prayer-meeting, late at night. And there, overshadowed 
by the darkness of the night, yet with their souls lit up by the 
light of God's Spirit, they found the way to the throne of grace, 
and got so nigh unto God that one says, " We all felt very 
happy." Another active spirit in these bush prayer-meetings 
says, " We always come back much refreshed." " What a blessing ! 
how encouraging ! Always come back much refreshed ! " " Yes ! " 
" Why, George ? " " Well, I don't know, chaplain ; but so it 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 103 

is. We go out into the bushes. God meets with us ; and, by 
singing and praying, we endeavor to get very near to God, and 
always come back much refreshed." What the cooling brook 
is to the thirsty hart, or the thirsty soldier on a long march on a 
warm day, prayer is to a thirsty soul — always refreshing. " And 
doubtless, George, it is your drinking so deeply of the wells of 
salvation that proves so refreshing to your longing hearts." 
" Yes ; I suppose, chaplain, that is so. We always find the 
nearer we. get to God, and the more earnestly we pray, the more 
refreshed we feel." "Yes, God is an inexhaustible 'fountain 
of life ; ' and the oftener you draw, and the deeper you drink, 
the more refreshed you will be. 

" Then, George, let me entreat you, go on with your prayer- 
meetings. As you have got the fire burning in the bushes, fan 
it, and keej) it burning until it spreads all over the camp, and 
burns upon the altar of every sinner's heart, so that when the 
patients go back to the front, they may go armed with weapons 
not carnal, that they may be mighty through God to the pulling 
down of the strongholds of the rebellion. Oh, then, George, 
•pray on. Gather up the forces, and lead them on in the battles 
of the Lord ! You have every encouragement. It was in 
answer to the prayers of eleven apostles that the Holy Spirit 
was poured oui on the day of Pentecost, when three thousand 
souls were converted in a day. In answer to the prayers of the 
church, the chains fell oif of Peter, and he was released from 
prison. It was after Rev. John Livingstone had spent the pre- 
vious night in prayer, that he preached that most powerful sermon 
on nhe new heart' (Ezek. xxxvi. 25, 26), at Shotts, in Scot- 
land, June 21, 1630, under which about five hundred sinners 
were converted. 

" Thus you see what great things God has wi'ought in answer 
to the prayers of his people. How very encouraging to pray on, 
George ! Then go on with unfaltering determination." 

PREACHING TO MEN ON THEIR DEATH-BEDS. 

Overburdened with labor, and surrounded with so many critical 
cases of sick and wounded men requiring prompt attention, our 



104 CHEISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 

ingenuity was sometimes taxed to know how to meet them to the 
best advantage. Hence, on entering a ward, and seeing so many- 
brave heroes lying upon the verge of eternity, and others, per- 
haps, just passing the crisis of the soul, and all anxiously inquir- 
ing what to do to be saved, and not being able to reach them all 
in due time in personal conversation, we were led to adopt the 
plan of preaching in the wards, where we could at the same time 
instruct, beseech, and implore all in the whole ward to come to 
the Saviour at once. This plan seemed to work very well. A 
word of j)rayer and praise, accompanied with a plain, pointed, 
brief sermon, was a relief to the patients, tired of the dull 
inonotony of the hospital. After entering a ward, and securing 
the approbation of the ward-master, we usually commenced the 
solemn service by singing some appropriate hymn full of Christ, 
the soldiers joining in, followed by reading a short passage of 
Scripture, such as the parable of the prodigal son, the case of the 
Philippian jailer, or the story of blind Bartimeus, etc. Then 
followed the sermon, which we always endeavored to make 
searching, powerful, and practical ; always endeavoring to con- 
vince the sinner of his sins, the imminent danger of his course, and 
the great importance of immediate repentance ; urging them by 
the love of Christ, by the pain of hell, and by the eternal glories 
of heaven, " to flee the wrath to come," and fly to the cross at 
once. With the sick, the dead, and the dying around us, and 
with the stern realities of eternity rising before us, and God's 
Spirit stirring within us, the services were usually very solemn 
and interesting. Preaching to men lying upon their death-beds, 
who had laid down their lives for their country, and feeling that 
it was " the last time" and the last warning to some of them, and 
that their salvation, under God, hung suspended upon the deci- 
sion of the hour, seemed to add much to the solemnity of the 
occasion, to heighten our responsibility, and to help and strengthen 
us for the arduous, important work. This work, though very 
laborious to the chaplain, was to me very pleasant and delightful. 
To point out the way of eternal life to him who had sacrificed 
his life for his country, though a sad, was no melancholy, duty. 
The patients enjoyed it much. And very often would they ex- 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 105 

press their gratification, as I passed tlieir couches, in such words 
as these. "You don't know, chaplain, how much good that 
sermon did me. Please come in and give us another as soon 
as you can." 

A colored soldier said to me, " I liked to jumpt out of bed ^ohile 
you was preaching, last night, I felt so happy ; my very heart seemed 
to leap with joy. ''^ 

I preached on this way, averaging more than a sermon a day, 
for several months. Very often I preached two or three times 
a day, besides Avriting letters for the patients, burying the dead, 
and canvassing the hearts of the most dangerous cases, noting 
down their religious experience and prospects for the future. 

There, standing between the living and the dead, we endea- 
vored to hold forth the cross of Christ as the only way of sal- 
vation ; endeavoring to comfort and console the suffering patient 
by the meek submission of Him who died upon Calvary that 
guilty sinners might enjoy eternal life. 

The following extract will give the reader an idea of our man- 
ner of addressing the patients in the wards. 

THE LAST WARNING. 

AN APPEAL TO WOUNDED SOLDIERS IN HOSPITAL. 

Having spoken to the Christian soldier and to the backslider, we come 
now, my impenitent friends, to give you a word of warning and encou- 
ragement. You have had many warnings. The thrilling, heart-rending 
scenes of battle — dear comrades falling, bleeding, dying at your side, 
beseeching you with their last breath, " Be ye also ready " — the departed 
spirits of half a million slain in this war, whose tongues are now mute in 
death, bid you " Prepare to meet thy God." The daily funeral notes of the 
death march of the escort bearing a cart-load of dead soldiers to the grave 
is but the voice of God warning you " to flee the wrath to come." The 
gushing tears and earnest prayers of a tender mother, an affectionate wife, 
and anxious sister, warn you ; trust in God and fly to Jesus. And yet, 
withal, here you are to-night, still impenitent, lying prostrate upon your 
couches, and, doubtless, many of you upon your death-beds, dying for 
your country, and yet rejecting Him who died for you. You kill men for 
rebelling against the government, and yet you still live in rebellion against 
God. Your sufferings for your country have been terribly severe, but they 



106 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 

are nothing compared with the sufferings that await you if you die impeni- 
tent. You have felt the raking fire of long lines of rebel heavy artillery, 
but that is nothing to the " unquenchable fire," artillery, and torments of 
hell. And here you are still careless and insensible to your danger. Care- 
less! insensible! with the grave yawning, the devil seeking, and hell 
moving to destroy you ! Insensible ! with God smiling, the Spirit striving, 
and heaven stooping to save you ! Oh, then, we beseech you, by the 
mercies of God, by the love of Christ, and by the joys of heaven, bestir 
yourselves ; repent, and come to Jesus. This is, without doubt, the last 
warning to some of you. It is now or never; to-morrow, doubtless, will 
be too late. " Now is the accepted time." I heard a dying soldier say, 
last night, with his life-blood flowing from him, " It is too late ! too 
LATE ! " And so it will be with you, unless you soon repent. Oh, then, 
let this be the day of your salvation ! May God bless you ! And yet the 
Lord waits to be gracious. Jesus is here waiting to forgive your sins, and 
wash your souls in his own blood. Jesus is here earnestly crying, " Turn 
ye ! turn ye ! for why will you die ! " And will you die, patriot soldier ? 
Will you die with Jesus, " the Prince of Life," at your hand, waiting to 
give you eternal life? You may die, die here in the hospital, covered with 
glory and honor defending your country — that is glorious — but, oh, if 
you die to save your country and lose your own soul, is not that lament- 
able? Die for your country ! Die beside the Prince of Life, and to enter 
" the second death," which never dies ! Die for Him who died for you, 
and yet die and be lost ! Oh, how lamentable ! Oh, my dear friend, stop, 
think, consider, turn, look, and come to Jesus, and come now ! May God 
have mercy on you, and bless you ! May the love of Christ constrain 
you! Jesus is here — here in this ward — here in all the plenitude of his 
power, readiness, and willingness, to give you life, pardon, peace, and sal- 
vation — 

"Jesus ready stands to save you, 
Full of pity, love, and power." 

As the compassionate Saviour cried to the anxious throng around the lovely 
heights of Jerusalem, " Come unto me, and I will give you rest," so he 
still cries to you, my impenitent friends, in tones of love and mercy, with 
the same gushing heart and encouraging promise, " How often would 1 
have gathered you ! " Yes, you, my dear soldier ; and mud it, shall it, be 
said of you, as of them, " ye would not ? " Oh, remember, I pray you, only 
think of the Saviour's "I would," and your own, " ye ivould not! " And 
are you not willing to be saved? Are you willing to die for the salvation 
of your country, and not willing to be saved " without money and without 
price ? " And will you, can you, reject such a Saviour, who has suffered, 
bled, and died to redeem you? " Who of God is ready to be made unto 
you wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption." Oh, then, 
come unto him ! " Come, for all thin^^s are now ready." Come, for yet 



CIIKISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 107 

there is room. Yes, room for every patriot soldier ; room in tlie church 
below ; room in the church above ; and room in the Saviour's bleeding 
heart. See how he pleads ! hear how he entreats ! by the thrilling scenes 
of Bethlehem, Gethsemane, and Calvary he cries, Come ! by his bleeding 
hands and dying groans, he cries. Come unto me, and I will give you 
KEST — rest from sin — rest from error and doubt — rest from sorrow and 
suffering — rest in heaven, where there will be no more sorrow, pain, nor 
death ; for God himself shall wipe away all tears. Oh, then, come ! Come 
where f Come here ! Come ivlicn ? Come now ! Come how f Come 
JUST AS YOU ARE ! But, oh, come ! May God bless and enable you to 
come ! 



CHAPTER VIII. 

WKITING LETTERS FOE, THE PATIENTS. 

A Dying Soldier's Letter to his Brother — Solemn — His Will — 
" Yours in Death " — " Letters of Death " — "I am Keady " — 
Letters from the Bereaved — No. 1. The Bereaved Wife — 
No. 2. The Bereaved Brother — No. 3. The Weeping Widow — 
No. 4. The Dying Husband's Letter to his Wife — No. 5. A 
Weeping Southern Family — Canvassing Patients' Hearts — 
Diagnosis of the Whole Hospital — " Oh, Chaplain, Stay, and 
Talk to Me more about Jesus ! " — " Before, I would Cry, ' Fort 
Pillow, and Let 'em have it ! '" — " Save Me, Lord ! Save Me, 
Lord ! " 

WHEN long deprived of the pleasures of home, the next 
thing to seeing the friends is to hear fi'ora them. Letter- 
writing is said to be " a true transcript of the soul ; " and, doubt- 
less, it is this (because we can more fully unbosom our hearts in 
writing than in speaking flice to face) that gives letter-writing 
such an immense power and influence in society. A neat letter 
from a long-absent, far-off friend, " how good is it." See how 
the happy recipient clasps it to her bosom, with a heart throbbing 
with joy ! To open and trace the beautiful lines all glowing 
with sympathy and love, bedewed with the heart-gushing tears 
of an affectionate friend, wife, or mother, would always cheer up 



108 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 

and revive the most cast-down and home-sick patient. Hence, 
writing letters for them was an important part of the chaplain's 
and delegate's work. This work was profitable, not only morally, 
but spiritually. For at the close of every letter sent home, it 
was always a favorable opportunity to draw out the religious 
feelings, purposes, and prospects of the patient, to send along to 
comfort his anxious friends at home. And just as we were about 
closing the letter, the question would come up, "Shall I say, 
' Please pray for me, mother?' " and the inquiry would often be re- 
plied to with such a meek, God-confiding " yes," as often brought 
the penitential tear from the eye, redolent with faith and hope. 
And when we come to inquire, at the last, of the brave soldier, 
" Sliall I add ' May God bless you, mother ? '" as the soft " yes " 
dropped from his quivering lips, with a heart throbbing with the 
deepest emotions, and thinking that probably it was the son's last 
letter to a dear mother, it seemed to draw us both nearer to God. 
Scenes like these were solemn, and fraught with peculiar touching 
interest ; but when we come to write the letter of a man mor- 
tally wounded, when we knew it was his last, it increased the 
interest to deep solemnity. We recollect one particular case of 
thrilling interest. A young man, of talent and wealth, had re- 
ceived a severe wound in the arm. Amputation had been per- 
formed, but not until it was too late. Pyemia had set in, which 
almost always resulted in dissolution in a few days ; and, con- 
scious of the near approach of death, the brave hero begins to 
set his house in order, and prepares to leave this lower world. 
How solemn the scene ! Although facing " the last enemy," with 
the stern realities of the eternal world rising in full view before 
liira, yet with undaunted courage he fears not. Death stares him 
in the face; yet he lies calm and serene. He indites a letter to 
his brother ; it is his last ! How trying the hour ! After casting 
some reflections upon his surgeon for not cutting off his arm 
sooner, and giving his brother some directions about his temporal 
affairs, he closes his dying letter with these striking, solemn 
words, — " Yours in Death ! " 

Prayer was frequently made for his salvation. And entreating 
him to throw himself in the arms of an all-compassionate Saviour, 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 109 

he seemed to let go of the world, and lay hold of Jesus. There 
lie lies. His last sands are running. The mortal conflict rages. 
Death M^orks ; frail nature gives way ; the vital cord snaps, and 
the heroic patriot yields up the ghost ! 



LETTERS OF DEATH. 

But there was another kind of letters to be written. To in- 
form the friends at home of the condition of the sick and wounded 
soldier was, sometimes, an unpleasant task ; but when one died, 
especially if he gave but dim evidence of preparation, as was fre- 
quently the case, and we were made the despatcher of the mourn- 
ful intelligence of his death to the bereaved mother, widowed 
wife, and orphaned children, the duty was peculiarly sad and 
painful. Hence, we always endeavored to canvass the heart and 
obtain the spiritual condition of every dangerously diseased 
patient, not only for his own spiritual benefit, but also for the 
comfort and consolation of his friends at home. To have a pa- 
tient brought into the hospital, who had sacrificed his life for his 
country, and die before we could learn his spiritual condition, as 
was sometimes the case, was very unpleasant. Yet when the 
influx of mortally- wounded and fatally-diseased patients was so 
great, it could not always be avoided. Frequently they were 
brought in dead, without having any account of their religious 
experience, and sometimes even without a record of their name, 
company, or regiment. 

How severe the ravages of war ! At times, when the mortality 
was very great, I have frequently been called to the bedside of 
a dying patient who was too far gone to even express a hope in 
Christ, leaving no record but his life to comfort his bereaved 
friends. For an anxious, affectionate mother, or devoted wife, to 
hear of the death of a dear son or husband, by the ruthless hands 
of infuriated rebels, Avas trving; : but to hear that he died " with- 
out hope," was almost overwhelming. When the mighty conflict 
was raging that decided the fate of our country, and the news- 
l")apers were teeming Avith the accounts of bloody battles and long- 
lists of casualties, all know with what deep anxiety those rolls of 



110 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

honor wei'e searched by every anxious heart, to know if his or 
her own particular friend was among the fallen. Much similar 
was the anxiety felt by those at home who had dear friends in the 
hospital. Hence, when the messenger of a soldier's death reached 
the throbbing heart of his bereaved friends, the next question 
was, " Hovj did he die f What were his prospects for eternity ? 
What was his disease, or wounds," etc. All such questions were 
proper and natural ; and, when we could, we ahvays answered 
them with pleasure, and did what we could to console and com- 
fort the bereaved, mourning friends at home. Many of the brave 
heroes died triumphant deaths, perfectly resigned ; and, rising above 
all doubts and fears, evincing their assurance and preparation in 
such words as these : " I am ready." " I have no fear of death." 
" The Lord is mine." "Tell my wife I died happy," etc. When 
this was the case, to despatch a death notice was not so painful ; 
but when a man died " without hope," sacrificing his life for the 
salvation of his country, and dying beside the Prince of Life, 
and yet, doubtless, dying to die the death that never dies, to 
communicate the sad intelligence was no desirable task. We 
always made the best we could of such cases, urging the bereaved 
friends (at home) to be warned, by the death of him who died 
defending his country, to ^^ prepare to meet their God.'' And the 
replies we received to these letters were usually most interesting 
and touching. Filled with gratitude, patriotism, tenderness, sor- 
row, and faith, we often read them with tears. 

Our letters describing the last hours of the departed heroes, 
and the answers we received in reply from their friends at home, 
if collected, would make a very interesting book. 



LETTERS FROM THE BEREAVED AT HOME TO THE 
CHAPLAIN IN THE HOSPITAL. 

Letter No. 1. — THE BEREAVED WIFE. 

Written with a heart gushing with grief and glowing with 
connubial aifection, it cannot fail to interest every reader. 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. Ill 

Teasleville, N. Y., Feb. 13, 1805. 

Rev. Friend : — With a trembling hand and a downcast 
heart, I take the liberty to write a few lines to one that has vis- 
ited my dear husband in his last moments. Oh ! is it possible 
that he is gone, and I am never to behold his form on earth 
again ? Must I — can it be so ? God has called, and I must 
submit to the stroke, though severe. He has a large circle of 
friends and relatives that deeply mourn our loss. He was 
beloved and respected, in his northern home, by all who knew 
him. He was the father of three children — two girls, and a 
boy twelve years of age. They have looked forward to the time 
when they could greet him ; but their hopes are all blasted with 
mine. They have no father to look after them now in a cold 
and unfeeling world. Alone ! no eye to pity, no arm to save, 
but God. By diligence and proper improvement of time, he has 
accumulated a quiet home for his family. We enjoyed the com- 
fort of his society until his country called for him ; he left us in 
the hands of God, and went forth to lend a helping hand in this 
great strife which desolates a home which was once pleasant and 
lovely. The rose may blossom and flowers bloom around my 
lonely dwelling — ^the hand that planted them with so much care 
lies silent in the tomb, and there must rest until God shall wake 
the sleeping dead. Oh, how many a great and good man has 
fallen to save and preserve the Union, so the living can have 
freedom of speech and liberty. May God hasten the time when 
it can be said, we are victorious ; that oppression has ceased, and 
the cord which bound the oppressed is broken ; niay the time 
soon come when the flag of honor and glory may find a resting- 
place in every State over our great continent ; and then may it 
wave in peace and security until time is no longer — this is my 
prayer. 

N. B. Concerning my husband's precious remains, if it is 
possible, how glad would I be to have him buried in the family 
burying-ground with his dear connections; so that when I am done 
with the afflictions of this life, I can slumber sweetly by his side. 
Not having the money by me, I wait an answer from you. If 
you will take the trouble to let me know how much it would cost 
me, and if it is possible for me to raise the money, I shall. But 
it is my prayer that there may be a way opened so that his 
remains can be sent to me. I cannot bear the thoug-ht of having 
him slumber there, away from home and all that was dear to him 
on earth. Oh, how gladly would I visit the ward where he has en- 
dured so much suffering and toil, and spent his last days on earth ! 



112 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

Oil, how can I give him up, and never greet that form again ? 
If thou art a companion, or a father, thou knowest well our feel- 
ings. But when the short journey of life is concluded, and I am 
done with sorrow and afflictions, that we shall meet where separa- 
tion is unknown forever. My prayer shall not cease for that 
ward, although my husband is called away by death. 

Receive this from the hand of deep affliction, which pen can- 
not describe. This short epistle to the much-honored chaplain of 
Hampton Hospital. 



Letter No. 2. — THE BEREAVED BROTHER. 

He had just lost his only brother — died far away, in the ser- 
vice of his country. Here are the feelings of his soul, lament- 
ing his loss, and expressions of gratitude for favors shown him 
in his last sufferings. 

New Haven, July 30, 1865. 

Mr. Billingsley, and Friend : — I received your letter con- 
taining the sad intelligence of my brotlier's death, the youngest, 
and only brother, — my eldest having died only one year and six 
months ago. Your sympathy for me, in my sad trial and bereave- 
ment, I assure you, I appreciate more than pen and ink can de- 
scribe ; while you kindly assure me he fared well, and I am some- 
what consoled. I am grieved that I cannot learn the date of 
death, where and when he was wounded. I wrote to Washing- 
ton, as you advised, but without the much-desired information, 
I received an answer. Please accept my heartfelt thanks for 
kindness in writing the particulars so far as you were at liberty 
to do. 

Your letter, with its contents, will ever be a sad comfort to 
me. Should you ever visit New Haven, I should be most grate- 
ful for a visit from you. I shall bring his remains home as soon 



as they can be obtained. 



Yours gratefully, 



Letter No. 3. — THE WEEPING WIDOW. 

Though written with a pen dipped in grief, and with a soul 
bowed down with sorrow, yet it breathes such a spirit of submis- 
sion under the heavy stroke, and the writer seems to derive so 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 113 

much comfort in the sad trial from God's word, that it cannot 

be read without profit. 

Donegal, Pa., April 18, 18G5. 

My Dear Brother : — I received your letter of the 4th on 
the 12th — the sad news of my dear husband's death. Oh ! was 
ever sorrow equal to mine ? I cannot describe my feelings when 
I came to where you said, your dear departed husband. Oh ! I 
thought, can this be so ? Yet it is. I thank you very much for 
your kind letter, and your kindness to my dear companion in his 
affliction. Your admonitions, your portions of divine truth, they 
have been read over and over ; and, oh, what consolation I find 
in these lines, Behold, happy is the man whom God correctcth ; 
therefore, despise not the chastening of the Almiglity. For He 
maketh sore, and bindeth up the Avounds ; and His hands make 
whole. He shall deliver them in six troubles ; yea, in seven 
there shall no evil touch them. 

No tongue can express my grief. My friends here are trying 
to persuade me to leave his body there, as you say he is buried 
decent ; and they tell me I could not see him if I would have 
him brought home. But, oh, I think it cannot be ! But his 
remains must come. They tell me it will cost at least an hun- 
dred dollars. I am in rather poor circumstances, and know not 
what to do ; but, if you please, see that the board that marks his 
grave is Avell put in, so that, after a while, I perhaps can have 
him home. If you please, be so kind and write me again, and 
tell me if he said anything concerning me or my poor little chil- 
dren. I am left with four dear children — the oldest not nine, and 
the youngest two, years old ; but I trust that my Father in heaven 
will be their father and the widow's husband. My hope of heaven 
is bright. I am a member of the Baptist Church, and have 
l)een for near eleven years ; and I love all Christiaiis, let them be 
of what name or order. And please let me know what branch 
of the Christian church you are connected with ; and I hope that 
we'll all meet in heaven at last. 

I am also very grateful to you for a lock of my companion's 
hair. Your marks of kindness shall never be forgotten while 
memory lasts ; and my prayer is that you may see the work of 
the Lord prosper in your hands, 

I ask an interest in your prayers : we are here in the wilder- 
ness, and oft are tempted ; but Christ is sufficient to bring us out 
conquerors and more. 

I think now, if my dear husband had only been permitted to 
get home to die, that I would not murmur. But this is hard. 



114 CHRISTIAXITY IN THE WAR. 

And then, when I reflect, I thhik it is all right, and I should 
feel thankful that he is now happy, and that he did not fall on 
the battle-field. And may God hasten the day Avhen war shall 
cease. 

I will close by saying please answer this soon. 
Your sorrowful friend, 



Letter No. 4. — THE DYING SOLDIER'S LETTER TO HIS WIFE. 

It was his last farewell letter. He indicted it himself as he 
lay on his bed in the hospital, nigh unto death. To see the 
dying father, with weeping eyes, bid farewell to his far-off wife 
and children, was peculiarly touching. 



Hampton Hospital, 

Fortress Monroe, Nov. 28, 18G4. 



} 



My Dear Wife : — I am sick — low with diarrhoea ; I don't 
expect to get well. But I feel that I am going to a better world. 
I feel prepared to die ; and hope and trust and pray you will 
meet me in heaven. Bid farewell to Catharine and David for 
me. If you live to raise the children, raise them to the religion 
of the Bible. Religion seems more precious and valuable to me 
now than ever before. If you choose, come and take my remains 
home. I have no doubts of heaven. I never felt so happy be- 
fore. All is bright and clear. "My title is clear to mansions in 
the skies." That God may abundantly bless you and the chil- 
dren is my prayer. Farewell. 

Your Affectionate Husband. 



Letter No. 5. — A WEEPING SOUTHERN FAMILY. 

This letter, although coming from the other side of the strug- 
gle, and written shortly after "the surrender," yet, being so full 
of sorrow and grief of a bereaved family, and breathing such a 
strong paternal and grateful spirit, it will no doubt be read with 
deep interest by many. 

Montgomery, Ala., July, 1865. 

Sir : — Yours of the twenty-fifth iNIay, addressed to my father, 
Mr< G. Stokes, informing him of the death of my only brother, 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 115 

Andrew J. Stokes, has just been received. We had ah*eady 
received the bitter intelligence ; but are none the less indebted 
and thankful to you for your note. Although you are an entire 
stranger to our once happy, but now gloomy, household, on be- 
half of the entire family allow me to return to you our most 
heartfelt thanks for the attention and care you bestowed upon the 
deceased. And although in the busy struggle of life our paths may 
never meet, rest assured, my dear sir, that under whatever suns, 
or upon whatever seas, it may please an all-wise God to cast us, 
we shall never, never forget you, who pointed the soul of him 
we loved so well to the brightly-beaming star of Faith and Hope. 
The day we received your sad, but comforting letter, because it 
bid us, " Be of good cheer," " It is thy Father's will," was the 
anniversary of the third year since last he was with us. Then, 
in the prime of his young, but noble manhood, he left us — noio, 
poor boy, he sleeps the quiet sleep of death in a far-oif, strangers' 
land. Pardon me for these ebullitions of private grief, but truly, 
indeed, has it been written, — 

"Oh, what a shadow o'er the heart is flung, 
When peals the requiem of the loved and young." 

Again accept our thanks for your very kind attentions, and 
believe that when we " bend the knee " to invoke the blessings 
of Heaven; whenever memory shall revert to the joyous days of 
yore, we shall ask that same kind and righteous power to shower 
blessings upon you, so that when your race is run, you may rest 
in the bosom of the omnipotent God. 

With profound respect, 

I remain, truly yours. 



CANVASSING THE PATIENTS' HEARTS. 

One of the most laborious and important duties of the hospital 
chaplain was to canvass the hearts of the patients. And at one 
time we knew the spiritual diagnosis of almost every patient in 
the hospital. This was all-important ; for it matters but little 
who has the head, if Satan has the heart. The heart governs. 
True religion is heart-work. Christianity is the religion of the 
heart. Hence the divine injunctions, "Give me thy heart,'' "Thou 
shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart," and " Keep 
thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life." 



116 CHRISTIAXITY IX THE WAR. 

Hence, in talking with the patients, we always endeavored to get 
at and get down deep into their hearts. And although, with 
some, it is difficult to reach the heart, yet we scarcely ever found 
it so with the soldier in the army. Accustomed to acts of heroism, 
soldiers are generally less ashamed, and more free to talk about 
religion in the army, than at home. And why should they not 
be ? What a shame to the Christian religion that professors talk 
so little about it. In days of old, it was written, " they that 
fear the Lord, spake often one to another." Religious conversa- 
tion is not only instructive, but strengthening and refreshing to 
the Christian, and very beneficial to the sinner. It warms the 
heart and fires the soul. Hence we often found it difficult to get 
away from the sick and wounded soldier. When about to start 
from the bedside, I have heard them plead thus: "O chaplain, 
don't go away. Can't you stay, and talk to me more about 
Jesus?" and giving him a warm shake of the hands, with a 
hearty "good-by," accompanied with the earnest exhortation, 
"Trust in the Lord," together with the comj^rehensive prayer, 
"3Iay God bless you," it was hard to tear ourselves away from 
their warm hearts. To sit down, read and explain appropriate 
passages of Scripture, and enjoy a free, frank, unrestrained, social 
talk with the brave heroes, and to see the penitential tear trickle 
down their furrowed cheeks, was always touching and refreshing. 
They Avere not afraid or ashamed to unbosom their hearts, and 
tell us all about their lives and religious experience. If they 
prayed, they would say so ; if not, they would frankly acknowl- 
edge it. When we put the question, " Do you swear ? " they 
frankly answered, " Yes," or " No," or " Yes, I swear sometimes, 
when excited," as the case might be. If they enjoyed religion, 
tliey would tell you ; if not, they would frankly acknowledge it. 
If they were seeking it, they were not ashamed to confess it. 
I asked one lovely boy, severely wounded, under deep conviction, 
bathed in tears, with anxiety about his salvation, " What hinders 
you from getting religion ? " He promptly replied, " Pride, awl 
my hard heart, I suppose," and, wringing his heart with contri- 
tion, the big tears flowed down his pale cheeks. With one leg 
off above the knee, there he lay for many days watering his 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 117 

couch with tears, given up by the ward-master and sui'geon to 
die. He was a noble boy. I wept and prayed much for him ; 
warned and entreated him to come to the Saviour, and, on my 
entering his ward shortly after, I saw his face lit up with smiles, 
and on asking, "How are you to-day, Henry?" he replied, "I 
am better. The burden is removed ; I think I have found the 
Saviour. Oh, what a precious Saviour ! " We sent for his father. 
He came. Henry got better, and went home, leaving one leg 
and a large portion of his patriotic blood upon the field of battle 
to water the tree of Liberty. 

We often met with soldiers well versed in Scripture, who were 
rich and fluent in religious conversation. Some of them seemed to 
have the Bible at their fingers' end. Others, with less knowledge 
of God in the head, but with more of Christ in the heart ; their 
lips teemed " with words that glow, and thoughts that burn," 
'about the story of the cross, and their own religious experience. 
To talk and pray with them was a great privilege. I have gone 
away from their bedsides instructed, encouraged, and much re- 
freshed. To witness the frequent bright conversions, their deep 
religious experience, triumphant deaths, and bright prospects of a 
glorious immortality exhibited, by their own language, in such 
words as these : " I am ready ; " " The Lord is mine ; " "I have 
no fear of death;" "Tell my wife I died happy;" "All is 
well," etc., were truly refreshing to the soul. And often very 
striking religious expressions fell from the lips of the colored 
patients. Having fewer religious and theological ideas than white 
people, what they have seem to take a deep hold and make a 
very deep impression upon them. More simple and confiding 
in their views and habits, they seem to believe more and doubt less, 
according to the light they have, than the whites. Taking God 
at his word, they seem to know nothing about doubting or unbe- 
lief. And being full of the warmest emotions, they often give 
vent to very vivid and striking impressions, such as the follow- 
ing: " I thank God for my wound : it has knocked the feeling 
of revenge out of me, and brought me nearer to God." "Before 
it, I would cry, * Fort Pillow, and let 'em have it ; ' but now I 
would spare a rebel on his knees." Another says, " I am ready 



118 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

to go any time ; " "I have got more than all the world can 
give ; " "I don't want." Another earnestly prayed, " Save me, 
Lord ! save me, Lord ! " Another says, " When I go into battle, I 
put Jesus in front, and I don't fear," etc. Speaking right out from 
the heart, their thoughts are original, quick, and powerful. 
Many of them are remarkably earnest and powerful in prayer. 



CHAPTER IX. 



THE WOMEN OF THE HOSPITAL. 

Their Valuable Services highly Appreciated by the Patients 

— Chesapeake Hospital well Supplied — Here Mrs. Mary B. 
Dully was Directress and Head of Sanitary Department — 
"She did what she Could" — Miss Amos, of Baltimore, Kind, 
Faithful, and True — Mrs. Chaplain E. P. Roe — "She went 
about Doing Good" — Mrs. Meecham and Many Others did 
Likewise — Mrs. Carver, with her Tent, Cooking-Stove, and 
Provisions, did much for the Patients — Mrs. Mary Alexander 

— Plain, Earnest, Heroic, Loved the Soldiers Ardently — 
" Bury Me with Them, when I Die." 

TO the wearied, sick, or wounded soldier, so long from home, 
and deprived of the affectionate smiles of mother, father, 
wife, and children, a visit from no one seemed to do them so much 
good as from a kind, cheerful, sympathizing lady. Made up so 
much of tenderness, affection, and sympathy, a good woman can 
cheer and comfort when none else but God can. And so long 
exposed to the asperities of war, those messengers of mercy always 
met with a hearty welcome from the patient in the hospital. 
Hence every well regulated hospital was well furnished with 
competent matrons. Many a sick and wounded soldier and 
officer has been greatly comforted in their sick and dying hours 
by the sympathy and soothing power of woman's kindness. At 
the Chesapeake, every ward had its own matron, whose duty 
was to give out medicine, provide suitable food and delicacies 
for the most needy patients. In this way doubtless, under God, 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 119 

they saved the lives of many a patient. Besides this very im- 
portant work, they did much in cheering up, reading and talking 
to, and writing letters for, the patients, and in a thousand ways 
added much to their comfort. 



MRS. MARY B. DULLY. 

At the Chesapeake, Mrs. Mary B. Dully, directress of this 
division of the hospital, stood at the head of the sanitary depart- 
ment, and with a liberal, prudent hand gave out the rich sup- 
plies of cordials, dainties, clothing, etc., furnished through the 
liberality of the Sanitary Commission, sent chiefly from Pitts- 
burg, Pa. Intrusted with the internal affairs of the hospital, 
she presided over them with dignity and honor to herself and 
satisfaction to all concerned. Hailing from Pittsburg, Pa., 
with a heart full of patriotic ardor, slie entered the service, at 
the beginning of the war, in the old Hygiea Hospital near the 
fort, and came here when that closed. 

Marked for discretion, she succeeded in gathering around her 
a corps of competent ladies, well qualified for the arduous work 
of nursing the sick and wounded. With a head " silvered over 
with age," she always sat at the head of the table, and presided 
with ease and dignity. Possessing good executive abilities, and 
wielding a fine moral influence, her administration was a perfect 
success. But she not only managed the hospital affairs well, but, 
possessing a heart glowing with kindness, and swelling with com- 
passion for the sick and wounded officers and soldiers, she labored 
faithfully, and, like Mary of old, " did what she could " to cheer 
and comfort them. I have seen her sit for hours endeavoring, 
with all her characteristic tenderness, to ease the pains and soothe 
the sorrows of the dying hero. 

Thus she continued to labor until the hospital closed; and 
being a warm friend of the freedmen, then fell in and labored for 
them. She hath wrought a good work. The Lord reward her 
abundantly for it. 

Miss Amos, of Baltimore, was another faithful laborer in this 
good work, who, in her meek, winning, unobtrusive manner did 



120 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAE. 

SO much in administering to the wants and comforts of the 
patients. Mild and prepossessing in her ways, she was always 
a welcome visitor at the bedside of the patient. For a long while 
she was a very acceptable matron of one of the principal wards 
in the officers' division, but was afterward sent to "Xew Camp" 
to labor for the well-being and comforts of the private soldier. 
She was afterward assigned to duty in one of tlie more prominent 
wards of the Hampton division of the hospital, where, through 
her laborious work, she became sick, as did several other matrons, 
from hard labor and rooming in small rooms in one end of their 
respective wards. Among many others of equal worth, energy, 
and self-denial in their painstaking and arduous efforts in caring 
for and supplying the wants of the patients at the Chesapeake, 
(as we have not time and space to speak fully of them all,) were 
Jliss J. E. Bently, Mrs. D. W. Holt, Mrs. Campbell, Mrs. Jane 
M. Worrell, Miss Preston, Miss E. Wohott, and several others 
whose names we have forgotten. 

At Hampton, they acted the same part. But here, the matrons 
being fewer in proportion to the number of patients, each matron 
had a much wider field of labor. Sometimes there were but 
three or four matrons in all the division. Then they went round 
and visited from ward to ward, paying particular attention to the 
worst cases. 

MRS. CHAPLAIN E. P. ROE, 

from New York, for a while in the summer and fall of 1864 took 
an active part in this noble work. With her kind heart, liberal 
hand, and cheerful countenance, she went round through the 
wards, administering both to the temporal and spiritual wants 
of the patients. Supplied with cordials and articles of clothing, 
wherever she found a needy patient, she supplied him with these 
things. And having supplied their temporal wants, she often 
ministered to them spiritually, in reading and talking to them, 
pointing them to Christ, and urging them to immediate repentance. 
With her Christian zeal and characteristic tenderness, she did 
much to relieve the suffering soldiers. On the opposite page is 
a picture of her reading to a wounded soldier. 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE AVAR. 121 

MRS. MEECHAM, 

of Cleveland, Ohio, who spent some two or three years In this 
home of the sick and wounded soldier, by her good sense and 
adaptedness to the work, was a perfect veteran in administering 
to the wants and comforts of the j^atients. She was a sweet 
singer, and by her enchanting music did much to ease the pains, 
soothe the sorrows, and cheer the hearts of the suffering. Be- 
sides after leading the singing at church, she always went around 
with the choir to sing in the wards. This exercise, very accept- 
able and cheering to the patients, was usually conducted by 
Chaplain R.oe, and generally attended to on Sabbath afternoons. 
The chaplain, accompanied by the choir, would enter a ward, 
read a suitable passage of Scripture, followed by the enlivening 
music. After singing two or three pieces, they would go on to 
the next ward. They usually sung every Sabbath. Part of the 
time it was omitted. 

MRS. CARVER. 

Although she was not connected with the hospital, and had 
no relative therein, she there did a good work. Deeply con- 
cerned for the salvation of the country, and deeply interested in 
the welfare of the soldier, this noble - hearted lady came from 
Philadelphia, Pa., to Fortress Monroe, Va., to labor for their 
comfort. Amply provided with cooking-stoves and cooking- 
utensils, and a rich supply of flour, meats, fruits, fowls, and deli- 
cacies, she came here first in the summer of 1864, and located 
herself in a remote part of the hospital, in the north-east corner 
of New Camp. Here, through the surgeon in charge, she soon 
had a comfortable tent erected, put up her cooking-stove, hung 
out the stars and stripes, and commenced operation on her own 
hook. Thus prepared, she set about the great work in good 
earnest, and baking bread and pies, and preparing all sorts of 
good things in best style, the heart of many a suffering soldier 
was made glad through her incessant labors and bountiful lib- 
erality. And having prepared her rich provisions, she would go 
round through the wards and look up the most needy patients, 



122 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

and with eagerness administer to their wants. Possessed with a 
magnanimous spirit and a tender, sympathizing heart and a lofty 
patriotism, she was a true friend of the soldier, and delighted to 
give and labor for his comfort. The first time I met her was in 
a tent in New Camp, endeavoring to comfort a distressed, suffer- 
ing soldier. At her request I went in, read, conversed, and 
prayed with him, endeavoring to pour into his soul the consola- 
tions of the gospel. Here, and in this way, she continued her 
good work and labor of love until late in the fall, and then went 
home. But, without growing weary in well doing and with 
unabated interest in the welfare of the soldier, she returned the 
following summer, with a fresh supply of provision, and opened 
out her Sanitary Tent again near ward twenty-seven, close by the 
head-quarters of Hampton Hospital. Here, with renewed vigor 
and liberality, she prepared and dealt out her good things to the 
worthy suffering defenders of our country. What she did in the 
great conflict for the Union in other parts of the army, we do not 
know ; but for what she has done here, she deserves to be en- 
shrined in the memory of every American patriot. 

MRS. MARY ALEXANDER. 

Of all the matrons of the U. S. General Hospital, Fortress 
Monroe, Va., for fidelity, self-denial, and devotion to the inter- 
ests of the sick and wounded, there were none that excelled 
Mrs. Mary Alexander. Deeply interested in the cause of free- 
dom, she entered the service at the beginning of the war, and 
saci'ificed her life in the noble cause. Born and brought up 
among the mountains of Switzerland, the principles of liberty 
were deeply instilled in her mind, and they burned warmly upon 
the altar of her patriotic heart. A love of liberty was the ruling 
passion of her soul. A true, devoted friend of the soldiers, she 
nursed them as her own children ; and they loved her as a mother. 
Trusting in God for help and success, when laboring with a pa- 
tient severely wounded or dangerously diseased, she would say, 
" We loill try and save him, by the help of God.''' And, doubtless, 
it was her reliance upon God for help that made her so devoted 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 123 

and successful in her noble work and labor of love. Stout- 
hearted, heavy-set, with a strong, muscular frame, she was well 
calculated to endure hardness. Firmness, energy, persever- 
ance, and determination were some of the leading traits of her 
character. Blessed with good sense and sound judgment, plain 
and unassuming, she was a woman of few words, distinguished 
more for her deeds than for words. Acting the part of both 
wound-dresser and ward-matron, when it was necessary for the 
good of the patient to pour into his gangrened wound the burn- 
ing, smarting tincture, she possessed the nerve to do it, even 
though the patient would sometimes scream out with anguisli 
and pain. Having so many bad cases in her ward, and being so 
much exposed to the impurities of the patients, through her 
excessive labor and toil by day and night, she contracted a 
malignant fever, which carried her oif in eight or ten days. 
Devotedly attached to the soldiers while living, she said ^'Bury 
me icith them^ when dead." Her request was granted. In the 
centre of a small triangular lot, reserved for flowers in the centre 
of the soldiers' graveyard, her mortal remains were buried with all 
the pomp and honors of war. Having lived to see the rebellion 
quelled, the slave freed, and the country saved, patient and 
resigned she passed away, April 23, 1865, at live o'clock p. m., 
crowned with the glories of martyrdom. She died in the Chesa- 
peake Hospital. Her funeral was large, solemn, and imposing. 
The corpse, beautifully decorated with garlands of roses and 
wreaths of flowers, wrapped in a fine shroud and inclosed in a neat 
coffin, was placed in the parlor, richly draped in mourning in 
honor of the death of Abraham Lincoln. And there, standing 
in the aisle, thronged with officers, ladies, and soldiers. Chaplain 
E. P. E,oe, U.S.A., preached an appropriate sermon from the 
following words, " Well done, thou good and faithful servant, 
enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." The exercises were very 
solemn and deeply impressive. The procession, headed by the 
hospital band discoursing mournful nmsic, was grand and im- 
posing. Having labored faithfully with the soldiers in the field 
and hospital, she now rests vnth. them in the grave. There she 
lies, waiting the voice of the last trumpet, " when all will meet 



124 CHEISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

again around the judgment-seat of Christ." There she lies, with 
her noble soul disembodied, and washed, we trust, in the blood 
of Jesus, has gone to swell the ranks of the redeemed in heaven, 
where there will be no more war, where God himself shall wipe 
away all tears. She deserves a monument more durable than 
brass. Let it rise. 



CHAPTER X. 

SKETCHES OF SOLDIERS. 



"Past Feeling" — Patchwork won't do for Eternity — "Jesus 
Saved Me Twice" — "I Xever Forget My Saviour" — The 
Blind Exhorter — "I have very Sweet Communion with 
God " — His Death — Letter from His Wife — Corporal John 
Creed, 23d III., Co. B. — Honored for His Bravery — Soldiers 
Die Clinched — Courage of Pompey — Joy an Element of 
Strength — Ananias Montgomery — " He had a Ball in His 
Side, and God in His Heart " — "I Feel Happy " — The Back- 
slider — "I Lost My Religion" — "Now I am Miserable" — 
George H. Vanloan — "I do Love Him " — " It would be 
Hard to Live in the Army without Religion " — The Fixed 
Heart — "I Pray Often" — "I do Feel Happy" — "I Am 
Too Wicked for That " — I Swear a Great Deal " — "I 
Can't Pray" — "It's Too Late" — "I am a Great Sinner" — 
"I Have Given Up" — "It is Better to Die" — "I am Will- 
ing TO GO " — " All is Well " — Midnight Calls — " O Chaplain, 
I Feel most Awful ! " 

"PAST FEELING." 

SITTING beside a pale, languid soldier, one day, in ward 
number seven, endeavoring to probe his conscience and stir 
his soul upon the subject of immediate repentance, and finding 
him hard to reach, the kind, compassionate matron came up, and 
cried out, " Comfort him ! comfort him ! " whereupon I immedi- 
ately replied, " The soldier's heart, like his wound, must be 
probed before it can be healed or comforted. To comfort the 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 125 

soul while the heart is embedded in sin is impossihh. What 
caused this great national disturbance ? Why is our country 
deluged with blood to-day ? What is the cause ? It is sin. Sin 
is the great disturber in this world. It is sin that robs man of 
comfort ; and so long as it lies on the heart unrepented of, there 
can be no lasting peace. Sin has dug hell ; and God says, ' The 
wicked shall be turned into hell ; ' and I wish to say to you, ray 
dear friend, you must soon repent or perish, turn or die. And, 
as Whitefield says, ' It is better to hear of hell, than to feel it,' 
Ave wish to give you fair warning. Patchwork may do for time, 
but it will not do for eternity. It won't stand the test of the 
great heart-searching God, Avhose eyes are as a flaming fire. If 
you build on the sand, when the floods of God's wrath rise, you 
will be swept away. The natural hea-rt is such a sink of iniquity 
that, unless it is deeply probed by God's Spirit, and washed in 
Christ's blood, there can be no true peace on earth and no hap- 
])iness in heaven. A wound may be healed over with corruption 
within, but it will soon break out again; so you may smooth 
over, and patch the old stony heart, and obtain a little transient 
comfort; but unless it be thoroughly cleansed, like the troubled 
sea, that cannot rest, it will continually be casting up mire and 
dirt. So long as Satan sits enthroned within, and retains posses- 
sion of the heart, the ebullitions of envy, strife, and unhallowed 
ambition will continue to rise, and keep the whole man in a 
continual commotion. A small leak will sink a great ship ; and 
a small sin, unrepented of, will sink the soul to hell. Hence wo 
learn the importance of a change of heart and complete sanctifica- 
tion. Oh, then, Ave beseech you, my dear friend, give your heart 
to God ! Surrender the old heart, and God will give you a new 
one. You have had many warnings. God still waits to be 
gracious. Jesus still cries, ' Come unto me, and I will give you 
rest.' " I preached to him, conversed and prayed with him ; 
urged and besought him by the mercies of God, by the love of 
Christ, and by the joys of heaven, to fly to Jesus; yet all seemed 
to make but little or no impression. His heart seemed barred 
against the truth. He seemed to be past feeling, and the story 
of the cross ajopeared to make no impression upon him. He was 



126 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 

frank and free to talk, but seemed to be perfectly careless and 
indifferent about his salvation. The tender-hearted matron tried 
him, but, with all her sympathy and kindness, said she could 
do nothing with him. Profane and careless, he seemed to quench 
the Spirit and resist the truth. He was now pale and low with 
chronic diarrhoea, and, from all appearance, was nigh unto death. 
I said to him, " Are you not afraid you will die, and be lost ? " 
"No!" he said, without appearing to realize his danger. I 
urged him by every possible motive, with all tenderness, to look 
to Jesus ; but, dead in sin and lost to God, nothing appeared to 
touch him. With his conscience seared, he seemed to have sinned 
away his day of grace, and to have become " past feeling." I 
said to him, "Were you to feel the torments of hell and to realize 
the joys of heaven for one minute, think you would remain 
any longer careless ? " He said, " I don't know ; but I suppose 
not." "And yet the existence of these places is as sure as though 
you had felt the torments of the one and realized the joys of the 
other. Why not then act as though you had seen and felt them 
both?" He belonged to the 169th N. Y. Vol. We urged 
him by the melting scenes of Gethsemane and Calvary, but all 
apparently with no effect. He lingered till February 17, 1865, 
and, so far as we could see, died without hope. Let the careless 
be warned and entreated to seek the Lord while he may be found. 
This was a very rare case. 

A SICK SOLDIER BAPTIZED. 

At our first interview with John W. Philips, of Ohio, we 
found him tender, and with some degree of anxiety inquiring 
wdiat to do to be saved. Afttr pointing him to the Lamb of 
God whose blood cleanseth from all sin, and beseeching him by 
the mercies of God to come to Jesus, we bid him good-by. 
Although now quite feeble, his strength was evidently declining. 
At our next interview we found his spiritual interest increasing, 
and he seemed to be indulging a hope. Telling him of the good- 
ness of God, of the amazing love of Christ, and of his willingness 
and ability to save even to the uttermost, and endeavoring to 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 127 

explain the simplicity of the plan of salvation by faith, and 
urging him to let go self, renounce the world, forsake sin, and 
at once to throw himself right into the arms of Jesus, and beseech- 
ing the Lord to wash and save his soul, we left him to meditate 
on these things. Possessing a mild, amiable, forgiving spirit, 
and apparently resigned to God's will, not a murmur fell from 
his lips. At our next call we found him sinking physically, but 
ising spiritually, and, indulging a hope that he had felt the 
washing of regeneration, he desired to be received into the church, 
and be baptized. He laid in a tent hard by and facing the bay, 
from which blew daily a fine refreshing breeze, symbolical of the 
Spirit that washed, we trust, his soul in a Saviour's precuous blood. 
Pressing his desire to unite with the Presbyterian Church, we 
brought the pastor and ruling elders of the Annapolis Presby- 
terian Church, and after the usual examination he was received, 
and after a brief explanation of the nature and design of the 
ordinance of baptism, he was solemnly baptized, sitting on his 
death-bed, beside the blue waters of Chesapeake Bay, May 10, 
1864. Rejoicing in the Lord, and overflowing with gratitude, 
he thanked us most heartily. But his time was short. Lingering 
some ten hours after his baptism, his soul left its clay tenement, 
and went^ we hope, to dwell with the spirits of just men made 
perfect on high. 

A SOLDIER WITH HALF OF HIS THROAT SHOT OFF. 

The army of the Potomac, commanded by Gen. Grant, set out 
for Richmond, May 3, 1864, and, having crossed the Rapidan, 
they soon met the bloodthirsty rebels in the fierce, destructive 
battles of the Wilderness and Spottsylvania, and the wounded 
soon began to pour into the hospitals here almost daily. Many 
of the officers, though but slightly wounded or diseased, seemed 
to be a good deal fatigued, and after a few days' rest were, by the 
exacting surgeon in charge, sent back to the front. Others, 
severely wounded and unable for duty, were retained, and re- 
ceived strict attention. 

In making my regular visits, one day, I found an unfortunate 
soldier, sitting alone in his tent, with half of his under jaw and 



128 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAH. 

throat shot off. " A very narrow escape, sir ! you have made a 
very narrow escape with your life." " Yes, a little deeper, and I 
^vould have been gone." Though severely wounded, he bore it 
all very patiently without a murmur. With his swallow so badly 
injured and so much of it torn off, he had to live entirely on 
spoon victuals. And his vocal organs were so much impaired 
he could scarcely speak. On approaching him on the subject of 
religion, he said he trusted in the Lord, and appeared to have a 
well-grounded hope. After pointing him to the Saviour, and 
beseeching him to cling to the cross, I said to him, " Shall I pray 
for you ? " and promptly nodding his head, he quickly kneeled 
down with such a zest that manifested a longing desire for the 
intercession; and kneeling down by his side, we besought God 
to sustain and comfort him in his trials, heal his wounds, forgive 
his sins, and save his soul. We visited him often, and always 
found him patient and resigned, frequently reading his Testa- 
ment. He belonged in Philadelphia, had no family, and when 
we left the hospital he was doing well. How he got along after- 
ward, we never heard. 

This and the case immediately preceding it, were in the U.S. 
General Hospital at Annapolis, Md. 

«' JESUS SAVED ME TWICE." 

The shock of battle, the bloody charge, the groans of the dying, 
and the awful sight of the ghastly dead, together with the press- 
ing danger of the severe conflict, sometimes so deeply stir the 
soul and fire the heart of the Christian soldier, that when he falls 
severely wounded upon the gory field, and is carried to the hos- 
pital, the first word he utters is one glowing with gratitude to 
God for his great mercy in sparing his life. Such were the 
heart-gushing words of George Frederick, 15th N. J., Co. C, 
as he lay upon his bed with a rebel ball in his shoulder, when 
he said, with deep emotion and tears, as I first approached 
him, " Jesus saved vie tunce." Having twice barely escaped 
with his life, and ascribing all the glory of his salvation to God, 
he hastens to give utterance to the deep thoughts of his heart, 



CHEISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 129 

and exclaims, in words of immortal memory, " Jesus saved me 
ttoice;" whereupon I replied, "And I hope he will save you 
again." And George said, with a smiling countenance, " I hope 
and believe he will." 

He was wounded in one of the last great battles near Petersburg, 
Va., having been shot in the left shoulder, the ball remaining in 
him ; yet, with his strong faith and buoyant hope, his severe wound 
soon began to improve. 

Upon examining a little farther into his spiritual condition, 
we found him very penitent and unusually prayerful. He 
was a member of the Presbyterian Church, and, conscious of 
the great things God had done for him, his heart seemed to flow 
out with prayer and praise. He prayed much. His wound was 
so severe, and the shock so great at first, to use his own language, 
he said, " I thought I would have died on the field, and I re- 
quested a friend to write home, ' Poor George is dead.' " And 
although exposed to the temptations of the camp, the trials of 
the march, and the conflicts of battle, yet, says he, " I never forget 
my Saviour." " Never forget him ! Few, very few, can say as much. 
You must be very happy ? " " Yes, I feel happy in the Lord." 
" And I suppose you find this happy state of feeling, or joy in the 
Lord, a source of courage and strength in the day of battle ? " 
" Yes, I believe it is. Besides the salvation of the country, the 
anticipated honor and glory of victory does much to urge men 
on to acts of daring and courage in the day of battle." " As you 
never forget your Saviour, George, I suppose the ordinary temp- 
tations of army life make but little impression upon you." " No ; 
I try to watch and pray, and by endeavoring to remember the 
great truth contained in the words of Hagar, ' Thou, God, seest 
me,' I endeavor to endure temptation as much as possible. "And 
tliere is nothing tends more to deliver us from temptation than a 
clear conception of God's presence. A deep sense of the sublime 
truth, God is present, should quench the fiery darts of the wicked 
and blunt the weapons of hell. If the thief, when he goes to steal, 
would stop, and call to mind the important truth God is present, 
his thieving heart would fail him. If the profane swearer, when 
his lips begin to teem with oaths, would remember that the God 
9 



130 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

whose name he profanes is present, it would stay his s-wearing. 
Had J. Wilkes Booth, when he was about to assassinate Abraham 
Lincoln, stopped, and grasped the awe-inspiring truth, God is pres- 
ent, his fiendish heart would have failed him, and his murderous 
hand would have fallen palsied to his side, and he would have 
failed to commit that awful deed. Thus, as a check upon sin, let 
us always remember God is present, and our responsibility unto 
him, and strive to live so that we will be enabled to say in the 
words of George Frederick, " I never forget my Saviour." The 
last we heard of him was in his own words, " I feel happy in the 
Lord." 

THE BLIND EXHORTER. 

The Gangrene Camp was the scene of much severe suffering. 
It was a kind of a depository for the almost hopeless cases of 
men with gangrened wounds, and other contagious diseases.' Yet 
patients taken there frequently recovered, and were taken back 
again to their wards. Patients dreaded to go there. But gangrene 
being considered so contagious, it was considered dangerous to 
allow cases of it to remain with other wounded patients clear of 
it. In our " gospel ranging," Ave often met with very interesting 
casas of religious experience in this lonely camp. When we 
first met with Hutchinson Miller, 29th Conn., Co. C, colored 
troops, we found him low with the erysipelas in the head. His 
fiice and eyes were so badly swollen with this fatal disease that 
he could not see. Wearing a noble countenance, marked with 
intelligence, integrity, and honor, we find him pleasant and 
interesting in conversation. Approaching him on the subject 
of religion, he seemed to be well versed in the doctrines of the 
cross. Hailing from " the land of steady habits," and being a , 
Presbyterian, he possessed less of the emotional than colored men 
generally. He said he had been converted fifteen years ago. And 
as I began to draM^ him out on his religious experience, he gave 
me as his creed, "All my trust is in Jesus Christ.^' " That is a 
very good, brief, comprehensive, sound, orthodox creed. If you 
will stand straight and firm on that, it will sustain, console, and 
buoy you up under all circumstances. With ' all your trust in 



CHEISTIAXITY IX THE WAR. 131 

Christ,' who is able, willing, mighty to save, you have nothing 
to fear. He is the rock of our salvation. Besides him there is 
no Saviour. He is able to save to the uttermost. I suppose you 
derive much comfort from Him?" "Yes, I have very sweet 
communion with God." " Communion and intercourse with dear 
friends is sweet and precious, but it is nothing compared to com- 
munion with God. When John Wesley was lying on his death- 
bed, surrounded with intimate friends, with tender hearts and 
weeping eyes expressing their warmest sympathies and earnest 
efforts to comfort him, the faithful old soldier of the cross, realizing 
that his comfort came from a higher source, exclaimed, 'The best 
of all is, God is loith us.' Sweet communion with God, together 
with a firm reliance upon Christ, will drive away every cloud, 
and enable us to ' rejoice in the Lord always.' I hope you have 
no fear of death ? " " No, I am not afraid to die." " With all 
your trust in Christ, you need not fear to die, because, when 
standing firmly on such a foundation, ' to die is gain.' Christ, 
when he died upon the cross, deprived death of its sting to every 
believer; hence Paul said, 'to depart is far better.' " His disease 
grew worse, and although he could not see, yet, perceiving that 
an unconverted soldier was lying close by him in the same tent, 
Hutchinson Miller, being no longer able to wield " the sword of 
Gideon," now grasps the sword of the Spirit, and fights with it 
in warning, instructing, and beseeching his dying comrade to 
repent, and fly to the Saviour. Although his swollen eyes hid 
from his vision the light of the natural sun, yet, with his soul lit 
up by the glorious light of the Sun of Righteousness, he exhorted 
his tent-mates with tenderness and earnestness to prepare to meet 
their God. Blest with the joys of salvation himself, he felt 
deeply anxious that his comrades-in-arms should enjoy it also. 
And to see him, with his swollen head and closed eyes, lying upon 
his death-bed, with a gushing heart imploring the wayward to be 
reconciled to God, was enough to stir the soul of the most unfaith- 
ful Christian. He said he belonged to the Free Masons. Calm 
and submissive, he survived the struggles of life till February 25, 
1865, when his soul left its clay tenement, and went, we trust, to 
the home of the blest. His last words to me were, " Christ is 



132 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

precious, and all my trust." Tlie following interesting letter is 

from his bereaved wife. 

Eeading, Pa., March 1, 1865. 

Chaplain A. S. Billingsley : — I take my pen in hand 
to inform you that I received your letter of the 3d, which re- 
vealed to me the sad news — the death of my husband, Hutchin- 
son Miller. So great was the shock to me that I have been 
unable to answer your letter till now. At present I am laboring 
under a very severe headache. Whilst this duty is a very pain- 
ful one to me, your letter was very kind and sympathizing ; 
and I feel under many obligations to you for the interest that 
you took in visiting him, conversing with him, and also in 
writing to me so soon. You will please here accept my warmest 
thanks for all you have done, hoping that God will reward you 
more bountifully. My loss is exceedingly a very great one ; for 
the last letter he wrote was dated on the fifteenth of February : 
he tbien spoke of feeling very comfortable, and up to that time 
he entertained a hope that he would get a furlough. I had been 
in the habit of getting a letter every week, and often twice a 
week. The last one was a very cheerful one, and he spoke much 
of coming home, and of our poor little children ; and when the 
time arrived for me to get the next, and there was none, I felt 
confident that he would answer it by his presence. I set up 
every night till after the late train came in, thinking he would 
come ; but, alas ! my waiting was in vain ; instead of his presence, 
the unwelcome news came that he was gone where no traveller 
was ever known to return. So you can imagine my loss much 
better than I can express it. At one time he wrote me that he 
had asked for a furlough, and the reply was that he would get 
one, but it would be down front, which was very wounding to 
his feelings. I think that it is very hard that, when a man 
leaves his home — a comfortable home, like he did — and when 
they are no longer fit for service, that they are deprived of the 
}>rivilege of seeing their families, which is their all in this life. 
.Vt times I think that it cannot be that I am not to see him any 
more in this life ! But I pray earnestly that God will give me 
grace sufficient to bear with my bereavement. My health is very 
poor, so that I am not able to labor to raise my family; but still 
I believe that God will provide a way for me, if T live faithful. 
I was led to inquire the way to Christ when a Sabbath-school 
scholar, and at the age of fourteen years I was admitted a mem- 
ber of the Presbyterian Church ; and in all my sorrow through 
life, He has been my comfort, and I still feel to trust Him. So I 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 133 

close, hoping that you will remember me and my family when 
bowing before the throne of grace ! 

From your bereaved friend, 

N. B. His remains may be sent for ; but at present I have 
not the means. If he was here, it would all be much to my 
comfort. 



SOLDIERS DYING CLINCHED IN BATTLE. 

Corp, John Creed, 23d 111., Co. B, though small in body, 
possessed a noble, courageous heart. He was an old soldier, and 
had served several years in the old country before he left Ireland. 
His physiognomy, manners, and appearance, and everything 
about him, denoted honesty, frankness, and simplicity. Although 
he carried with him a medal of honor that he had received from 
the Government of the United States for his bravery, and had re- 
ceived special marks of respect from President Lincoln, he was 
very unpretending in his manners. He was shot in both arms 
at the capture of Fort Craig, Va., just at the close of the war. 
Though mild, he was also stern and invincible. To hear him 
recount deeds of valor and bravery on the field of battle would 
raise the patriotism of the most heroic. He said he saw a Union 
and rebel soldier bayonet one another, clinch, and die clinched. 
Said he had seen men die standing on the held of battle. And 
just here let us stop a moment, and inquire what it is that leads 
men to do such daring deeds. The fear of disgrace and the love 
of honor, together with the love of God and a patriotic devotion, 
constitute some of the strongest motives that actuate men in the 
discharge of duty. Aside from these considerations, the power 
of military discipline has a wonderful influence in making men 
steadfast and resolute. A striking instance of which is given by 
Dr. Guthrie, in the case of the old Roman sentinel, in the fol- 
lowing graphic words : 

THE ROMAN SENTINEL. 

There was nothing in Pompeii that invested it with a deeper interest to 
me than the spot where a soldier of old Rome displayed a most heroic 



134 CHEISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

fidelity. That fatal day on wlaich Vesuvius, at whose feet the city stood, 
burst out into an eruption that shook the earth, poured torrents of lava 
from its riven sides, and discharged, amidst the noise of a hundred thun- 
ders, such clouds of ashes as filled the air, produced a darkness deeper 
than midnight, and struck such terror into all hearts that men thought not 
only that the end of the world had come and all must die, but that the 
gods themselves were expiring — on that night a sentinel kept watch by 
the gate which looked to the burning mountain. Amidst unimaginable 
confusion, and shrieks of terror mingled with the roar of the volcano, and 
cries of mothers who had lost their children in the darkness, the inhabit- 
ants fled from the fatal town, while falling ashes, loading the darkened 
air and penetrating every place, rose in the streets till they covered the 
house-roofs, nor left a vestige of the city but a vast silent mound, beneath 
which it lay unknown, dead, and buried, for nearly seventeen hundred years. 
Amidst this fearful disorder, the sentinel at the gate had been forgotten ; 
and as Rome required her sentinels, happen what might, to hold their 
posts till relieved by the guard, or set at liberty by their oflicers, he had 
to choose between death and dishonor. Pattern of fidelity, he stood by 
his post. Slowly but surely the ashes rise on his manly form ; now they 
reach his breast ; and now, covering his lips, they choke his breathing. 
He, also, was "faithful unto death." After seventeen centuries, they 
found his skeleton standing erect in a marble niche, clad in its rusty 
armor — the helmet on his empty skull, and his bony fingers still closed 
upon his spear. And next almost to the interest I felt in placing myself 
on the spot where Paul, true to his colors when all men deserted him, 
pleaded before the EomantyrantjWas the interest I felt in the niche by the 
city gate where they found the skeleton of one who, in his fidelity to the 
cause of Caesar, sets us an example of faithfulness to the cause of Christ 
— an example it were for the honor of their Master that all his servants 
followed. 

And besides all this, there is a thrilling, buoyant joy in antici- 
pated victory which nerves the soul and urges on in daring 
deeds, that leads men undauntedly to face danger, and even to 
bid defiance to death itself. When the friends of the intrepid 
Porapey dissuaded him from venturing on a tempestuous sea, in 
order to be in Rome on an important occasion, the fearless hero 
replied in words of immortal memory: "It is necessary for me to 
go ; it is not necessary for me to live." To Pompey, the joy in 
the discharge of duty overcomes the fear of death. When Gen. 
Howard (under Gen. Sherman) was advancing upon Savannah, 
as he approached the doomed city, he met in the way a small 



CIIEISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 135 

rebel battery which kept up a most galling fir^^ to the great 
annoyance of his troops; whereupon the brave general com- 
manded a halt, and called out for twenty-five brave men to storm 
the rebel stronghold. Animated with a sublime thirst for the 
fierce conflict, and fired with a noble joy in anticipating the vic- 
tory, the brave twenty-five quickly volunteered, and rushed up 
boldly amidst the thick grape and canister, and, staring death in 
the face, took the courageous battery amidst the loud shouts of 
ten thousand hearts anxiously gazing upon the grandeur of the 
sul)lime achievement. And although man burns with ambition 
and longs for fame's immortal honors, it is after all the inspiring 
joy attending these things that impels the ambitious to grasp for 
them. Hence this animating joy is one of the principal elements 
of moral strength in all great and laudable undertakings : it is 
strength to the orator, it is strength to the soldier, and strength 
to the Christian. It is this buoyant feeling that gives the 
rostrum and the pulpit such wonderful power, and makes the 
forum flash " with thoughts that burn and words that glow." It 
is this wonderful element of strength that holds the martyr to 
the stake, and enables him to shout victory in the very agonies 
of death. "For the joy of the Lord is your strength." — Neh. 
viii. 10. And if it were possible to strip man of this powerful 
element, the church and the enterprising world would fall into a 
sudden collapse. What, we ask, was it that led Jesus to Cal- 
vary ? What enabled him to endure the cross and despise the 
shame? It was the "joy" that was set before him. Then, if 
we would be mighty in battle and strong in the Lord, let us so 
live that we will be "rejoicing in the Lord always." — Phil. iv. 
4. Reader, if you would be happy, useful, and successful in the 
world, cultivate a cheerful disposition. 

ANANIAS MONTGOMERY — HE HAD A BALL IN HIS SIDE, AND GOD 
IN HIS HEART. 

In canvassing one of the new wards, on a balmy April morn- 
ing, we came in contact with Ananias Montgomery, 10th 
W^est Va., Co. B,'and found him, at our first interview, patient, 
prayerful, and resigned. His manly form, expressive counte- 



136 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

nance, frank appearance, led us to set him down for a noble fellow. 
He was wounded in the capture of Fort Craig, April 2, 1865, in 
the last great battle of the war. I remarked to him that it seemed 
hard to fight three or four years, and then receive a mortal wound 
just at the close of the struggle. " It does seem so," he said ; 
"yet I hope and trust it is all right. God's will be done." 
" Thank God for such submission ! To be resigned to God's will 
is a very high attainment. Although you have a minie-ball in 
your side, yet, having God in your heart, you have, I hope, 
nothing to fear. Do you think you would be afraid to die ? " 
" No ; I feel I can die happy." Realizing his need of divine 
assistance, he said, " Pray for me, that I may hold out faithful 
till death." "Have you any word to send to your wife?" 
" Nothing ; only I feel hajDpy, and prepared to die." What a 
consoling message from a dear dying husband to a bereaved, 
weeping wife ! It is more precious than all the victories and 
honors ever won upon the field of battle. Victory over the 
enemy is glorious, but victory over death is rapturous ; and to 
the bereaved, heart-broken wife nothing could afford so much 
consolation. To lose a kind husband at home, under the most 
favorable circumstances, is very trying to the bereaved widow ; 
but when he dies upon the ensanguined field, or in the hospital, 
far away from friends, it is far more severe. Having fought a 
good fight, even with a ball in his side, and feeling that God was 
in his heart, with the grave yawning before him, sustained by 
God's grace, he was enabled to say, " I feel happy, £ind prepared 
to die." He lingered a few days, and passed away, we trust, 
where the clanging of arms and the whistling of balls are heard 
no more. 

THE BACKSLIDER. 

I have heard men say, in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, 
"We can't live out religion here, where sin so much abounds, 
and where temptations are so strong." Sometimes the same 
objection and excuse has been urged in the army. And although 
restraints are weaker, and temptations stronger, in the army than 
at home, yet, as God is the same everywhere, and as his grace is 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 137 

sufficient for us at all times, and in all places, if we will only 
trust in Him, he will deliver in every temptation, and sustain us 
in every trial, as well in the army as at home. If God preserved 
and delivered Daniel in the lions' den, surely he can sustain the 
Christian soldier in the army. At our first interview with 
Harry Stanton, 118th N. Y., Co. C, we found him of easy 
access, frank and free to converse, and confess his sins. Said he, 
" I was soundly converted over twelve years ago. I enjoyed 
religion very well for six months ; but then I lost it." " What 
a long list of sins ! Yet we are glad to see you make such a 
frank and full confession of them. It is good to confess your 
faults to another. God says, 'If we confess our sins, he is faith- 
ful to forgive, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.' What 
led you to backslide ? " " My own unfaithfulness. My neglect- 
ing my Bible, my closet, the church, and the prayer-meeting. I 
became lukewarm ; my love waxed cold ; I forsook God, and he 
has forsaken me." " Where did your backsliding begin?" "It 
began in my heart, I suppose, and, taking root there, it soon 
spread all through my thoughts, prayers, devotions, words, and 
deeds, until I soon found that I possessed so little strength that 
I was just 'ready to die.'" "Now do you think you loere really 
soundly converted to God?" "Yes, I have no doubt of it." 
"Although it is the Christian's privilege to know that he is a 
Christian, there is, after all, a possibility of being deceived in 
this matter. We may think and belief we are Christians, when 
we are not. Hence, close self-examination is all - important. 
How are you getting along now ? Do you feel happy since you 
lost your religion ? " " Oh, no ; I am miserable. God frowns 
upon me -^ a miserable backslider ! Yes, that's what I am ! " 
" Oh ! how strange and awful, that any should ever wander away 
from such a compassionate Saviour, who has done such great 
things for us ! Take the oath of allegiance to the King of kings, 
and then turn traitor to God ! Forsake Him who suffered, bled, 
and died for you f Oh, how treacherous ! What treacherous 
disloyalty ! W^ith your soul once washed in Christ's blood, and 
then I'eturn like a sow that is washed to her wallowing in the 
mire ! Come down from the lofty heights of holiness, of union 



138 CHEISTIAXITY IN THE WAR. 

and communion with God, and return again to the beggarly 
elements and to bondage — quit praying, and take to swearing ; 
forsake God to serve Satan ! Oh, how awful ! And is it so ? 
Is this your condition f " " Yes, that 's it, in strong terms.'' 
"And don't you feel sorry for your aggravated sins?" "Yes, 
[weeping,] I do feel sorry; and I am going to try to do better." 
" You are not going to live without religion, I hope ? " " No ; I 
expect to seek it again when I get home." " Why not seek it here 
in the hospital now ? " " Oh, this is a poor place for it." " A 
poor place for it here, among the sick and dying, where death is 
so frequent, where tiihe is so short, and eternity so near ? I should 
think it a very good place for it ; and it is the very place that 
you need. Do you see that shrouded corpse ; do you see that dear 
comrade bleeding to death ; do you hear the dying groans of 
that expiring soldier ; and what meaneth all this ? It is a warn- 
ing to you ; it is the voice of God warning and admonishing you, 
'Prepare to meet thy God ! ' Oh, then, say not ' this is a poor 
place to seek religion ! ' If the awful, terrible charge and the 
shock of battle don't alarm you; if the thrilling, solemn scenes 
of the hospital don't arrest you, and lead you to repentance, how 
can you expect the dull routine of life at home to do it ? You 
expect, you say, to seek religion when you get home ? What if 
you should never reach home ; how then ? Besides, God says, 
' The expectation of the wicked shall perish.' (Prov. x. 28.) 
Many, doubtless, expect to be saved, who are finally lost. Your 
only safety, then, is in immediate repentance. Noio is God's time, 
and here is the right jafece. Oh, then, we beseech you, repent, 
repent now, — come back, come home to God, and he will heal 
your backsliding, and restore unto you the joys of his salvation! 
May God bless you." 

GEORGE H. VANLOAN. 

Upon canvassing the heart of George H. Vanloan, 3d N. Y. 
Cavalry, we found him penitent, prayerful, trusting in the Lord. 
" Do you love the Saviour ! " " Yes," he said, with great emphasis, 
and deep emotion and tears, " I do love him." " Love is the 
principal thing. Without love we are 'as sounding brass, or a 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 139 

tinkling cymbal.' 'And though I bestow all my goods to feed 
the ]^oor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not 
charity, or love, I am nothing. Love is the fulfilling of the law ; 
it is the strongest of all propensities. It holds and binds the Chris- 
tian to the throne of grace, and the martyr to the stake. Don't you 
think love to Christ helps in getting along in afflictions ? " " Yes, 
I believe so ; for I'd have died long ago, had I not trusted in 
the Lord." " The calm, composed state of mind resulting from 
strong faith in Christ, when passing through the deep waters of 
affliction, is, no doubt, well calculated to sustain and comfort the 
sick, so that in many cases life has been s^^ared and health 
restored where death would have ensued without it. I have 
heard soldiers, who had been brought nigh to death, express 
themselves to this effect frequently. Faith saves the soul, and 
is the means of saving the life. It is written of the blind 
beggar, ' Thy faith hath made thee whole.' " Afflicted reader, if 
you would bear affliction patiently, and get well quickly, trust 
in Christ, the great physician, who, in justice, love, and mercy, 
afflicts his own children, when they need it, for their profit. A 
deep consciousness of the fact that sanctified affliction's work for 
our good, and the consequent cheerful spirit resulting therefrom, 
is doubtless one of the reasons why they tend to restore health. 

"IT WOULD BE HARD TO LIVE IN THE ARMY WITHOUT 
RELIGION." 

While it has often been said by the thoughtless and careless, 
" We can't live out religion in the army ;" and although it is 
often said by a certain class of professors, " the army is a hard 
place to be a Christian, and live it out," yet at our first interview 
with James H. Finney, 1st N. Y. Engineers, we found him 
entertaining a very different view, and being fully conscious of 
the enjoyments and consolations of the Christian religion, he 
says, " It would be hard to live in the army without it." Opposed, 
as we are, by the combined powers of the world, the flesh, and 
the devil, life at best is a warfiire from the cradle to the grave. 
And although the temptations are greater and the restraints weaker 
some places than others, yet, since God's grace is sufficient at all 



1-40 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

times and under all circumstances to guide, guard, and sustain 
the believer, he can, if he will, at all times walk worthy of his 
vocation, and so live and act that his life will be an embodiment 
of the great doctrines of the cross of Christ. And it is im- 
pugning the wisdom, mercy, power, and grace of God to say 
that he camiot. Noah, though thrown amidst all the whirlpools 
of temptation of an antediluvian world, yet, actuated by a 
living faith, he sustained his character, and moved with fear, 
when God's wrath and fury were about to be poured out upon a 
doomed world, " he prepared an ark to the saving of his house." 
If God gives the martyr grace and strength to burn at the stake, 
most assuredly he will give grace sufficient to stand the trials 
and temptations of the march, the camjD, and the field of battle. 
And surrounded with increased exposure in the army, as you 
say, it would be hard to live without the comforts and consola- 
tions of religion. It is difficult to conceive how a man once 
regenerated, with his sins pardoned, and with the image of God 
restamped upon his soul, and blessed with the glorious hope 
of a blessed immortality beyond the grave, could ever think of 
living without religion anywhere, much less among the asperities 
and hardships and trials of the army. To sustain under trials, 
to comfort in distress, and to bind up the broken in heart, is one 
of the great objects of the religion of the cross. And to hold 
that we cannot have it, and enjoy it when we most need it, is 
preposterous in the extreme. The only difficulty in living in 
the full enjoyment of the sweet consolations of the gospel is 
in the faithful use of the means. If we will only be faithful, 
God will bless and comfort as well in the army as in the family 
circle at home. " Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give 
thee a crown of life." 

THE FIXED HEART. 

It was just as the last lingering rays of the setting sun play- 
ing on the lofty dome of " old Chesapeake," as we were making 
our regular round through the hospital, that we came in contact 
with Henry Bartsher, 58th Pa. Vol., Co. I. And, finding 
him of easy access, we had no difficulty in drawing him out on 



CHEISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 141 

the subject of religion. Conscious of the great things God had 
done for him, ho was not ashamed to speak of them. Penitent 
and humble, and realizing his constant need of God's strengthen- 
ing grace, he says, " I pray often, and believe God has forgiven 
my sins." Warmly attached to the Saviour, and feeling him 
dear and precious, he said, " Christ is on my mind all the time." 
"Always thinking about Jesus ? " " Yes." " You must be very 
happy ?" " Yes, I do feel happy, thank God ! " " Your experi- 
ence seems to be somewhat similar to David's, who, though sur- 
rounded with danger, and hotly pursued by enemies, even with 
his soul among lions, exclaims, with a mind calm and composed, 
'My heart is fixed, O God; my heart is fixed: I will sing and 
give praise.' Here we have the way and the source of happiness. 
AVhat is it ? A fixed heart — a heart stayed and fixed upon God. 
Let the world allure; let the flesh entice; let Satan shoot his 
fiery darts dipped in sin's poisonous bowl ; let the waves of trouble 
rise, how high soever ; let the fires of persecution burn and blaze 
as hot as they did at the stake of John Rogers — yet, with the 
heart stayed a.nd fixed upon God, the Christian can say 'All is 
well,' and sing and give praise. The heart is a very hard 
thing to keep ; but when you get it fixed upon God, happiness is 
sure to follow. With a heart stayed and fixed upon God, and 
with Christ on the mind all the time, the martyr, with composure, 
faces the scaffold and the stake ; and with undaunted courage 
dies in triumph amidst devouring flames. With his heart stayed 
and fixed upon God, John Nicholson, with his legs burned to 
stumps, with two halberds thrust into his sides, with which his 
cruel persecutors lifted him up as far as the chain would permit, 
while his fingers' ends were flaming with fire, exclaimed, ' None 
but Christ ! None but Christ ! ' and, being let down, fell in the 
fire, and soon expired in the triumphs of faith. With his heart 
stayed and fixed upon God, Paul, standing upon the verge of the 
eternal world, exclaimed, ' I am now ready' to be offered ; ready 
to sacrifice his life for the cause of Christ." 

Henry Bartsher lived till October 19, 1864, M'hen the silver 
cord was loosened, and the golden bowl was broken, and his 
emancipated soul went to the realms of everlasting peace ! 



142 CHRISTIAXITY IN THE WAR. 

"I AM TOO WICKED FOR THAT ! " 

It was just after sermon, in one of the wards, when I stepped , 
up to John Pahner, 6 2d Ohio Vol., Co. F, and on my beseech- i 
ing liim to repent, and look to God for strength and salvation, he 
said, " I am top wicked for that ! " " Too wicked ? Too wicked 
to geek God ? " " Yes ; I feel so." " Although you confess your 
wickedness, yet I suppose you are much wickeder than you 
think you are. Could you but see the height, length, breadth, 
and depth of the depravity and wickedness of your deceitful 
heart, I suppose you would be driven to despair. God, in mercy, 
for a while conceals the truth, and opens our eyes gradually, and 
gives us light as we can stand it. ' Too wicked to come to Jesus?' 
Oh, what infatuation ! How deceitful, bewitching, and blinding 
is sin ! It makes the sinner feel rich and as though he has need 
of nothing, when, at the same time, he is wretched, miserable, 
poor, blind, naked. (Rev. iii. 17.) What kind of a life have 
you lived?" "I have lived a careless and wicked life." "Did 
you ever feel much interested in religion ? " " No ; I always 
lived careless." " Do you swear? " "Yes; I swear a great deal." 
" Do you ever pray ? " " No ; I am too wicked to pray." " Be 
not deceived; God is not mocked. When the Lord saw that the 
heart of Simon Magus was not right, he commanded him to 
repent of his wickedness, and pray for forgiveness. Your case 
is similar ; and as God commanded Simon to repent of his wick- 
edness, and pray for forgiveness, so he commands you to repent 
and pray also. God note commandeth all men, everywhere, to 
repent. And when God bids you repent and pray, it won't do for 
you to say, 'I can't.' Severely wounded, racked with pain, wicked 
and careless, profane and prayerless, without strength sufficient 
to pray, or keep from swearing, as you say, your case presents 
rather a dark picture. Yet it was just such sinners as you, Jesus 
came to seek and save. Oh, then, don't be discouraged. God 
says, ' Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man 
his thoughts : and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have 
mercy upon him ; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.' 
Now fix it in your mind, you must repent, or perish. Turn or 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAE. 143 

burn ! turn or die ! is one of God's unalterably fixed laws. And, 
no doubt, you expect to be saved ? " " Yes, I hope to." " Hoav ? " 
" Why, I expect to reform, and do better." " Yes ; but you say 
you are without strength, and too wicked to ask God for it — that 
'you can't pray.' Yes, there you are; hanging upon the mercy 
of God, standing upon the very verge of the eternal Avorld, ex- 
posed to all the penalties of a broken and violated law, and liable 
to sink to hell any moment. There you hang, with heaven and ^ 
hell before you. Satan seeks to destroy you ; Jesus to save you ! 
Oh, then, choose ye this day whom ye will serve ! Say no longer 
you can't pray ; you can, if you will. The publican prayed, 
and God heard his prayer, and forgave his sins. The thief on 
the cross, no doubt, a much worse man than you, prayed, and the 
Lord heard his prayer, and saved his soul. Oh, then, be encour- 
aged ; your wickedness, your sins and oaths, are no hindrance 
in coming to Jesus, if you will only repent. God's mercy is 
infinite, the atonement of Jesus infinite, and God can save a big 
sinner as easy as a little one. The blood of Christ cleanseth from 
all sin. Think of what momentous interests are involved in 
your case. Your wound may get well ; and you may go back 
and fight a few more battles, and help win a few more victories. 
You may die to save your country; but, unless you come to 
Jesus, you will die, and be lost. Only think of the goodness of 
God in sparing you, and of the love of Christ in dying to save 
you ! Go to the garden of Gethsemane, and view Jesus agonizing 
in prayer for our salvation; view him dying upon the cross; 
view him going from the cross to the tomb, and from the tomb 
to the throne — and all that we poor unworthy sinners might be 
saved ! Oh, then, let his Spirit woo you ; let his love constrain 
you to give your heart unto him! Look away from self; look 
away from your sins, and look directly, and only, to Jesus. He 
will wash your guilty soul in his own cleansing blood, and you 
will find your wickedness giving way to holiness. ' Rise, rise, 
he calleth thee; ' here he is, right here ! entreating and beseeching 
you, by the mercies of God, come and be saved ! Stretch forth 
thy hand, and grasp Jesus like a drowning man a straw, and he 
will save you ! Just make the effort ; strike for the cross ; make 



144 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

a plunge for Jesus, like sinking Peter, and cry, 'Lord, save, or 
I perish ! ' and the crown is yours." 

"IT IS TOO LATE!" 

Sad, solemn, impressive words to fall from, the lips of a dying 
soldier, as he lay struggling in the agonies of death. As we 
entered upon the canvass of the heart of Edwin Vanwert, 
3d Mich. Regiment, Co. E, we found him, apparently, much 
concerned for his salvation. It seemed that the light of divine 
truth had dawned upon his darkened soul, and that conviction 
had been sealed upon his mind, and feeling, to some extent at 
least, the depravity of his heart, he says, " I have been very 
wicked. I am a great sinner." " It was just such that Jesus came 
to seek and to save," I replied. "Therefore be encouraged. Look 
and live ; believe and be saved. It is an encouraging fact to 
find that you have found it out that you are such 'a great 
sinner.' Yet you must never for a moment, however, entertain 
the idea that the greatness of your sins will be any hindrance to 
your coming to the Saviour. Jesus is ' mighty to save.' His 
blood cleanseth from all sin, and he can as easily save one sinner 
as another, if he will only repent." He seemed to be penitent. 
And as we urged him to come to Jesus, as though he felt his 
need of a Saviour, he began to pray, and cried, " God have mercy 
on me." " That, my dear friend, is a very good, appropriate 
prayer. It just suits your case. It is very similar to the prayer 
of the publican, who, when he cried out, ' God be merciful to 
me a sinner,' he went down justified. Oh, then, look up, and, 
from the answer of this sinner's remarkable prayer, press your 
suit for salvation." And although his case did look more en- 
couraging at times, as we conversed, plead, and prayed with him, 
yet, with all we could do, dark clouds rose before him, his hopes 
began to fail, and the withering hand of despair grasping his 
soul, he says, "It is too late; I have given up." "Oh, no, my 
friend, it is not too late, ' it is not too late.' ' While there 7S 
life, there is hope.' Don't 'give up.' Man's extremity is God's 
opportunity. The promises of God run parallel with a man's 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 145 

life. A defeat is sometimes turned into a victory. No, it is not 
too late. There is still balm in Gilead. The river of life still 
flows at your feet. Step in, wash, and be clean. The Spirit 
still strives. Jesus still cries, how often would I have gathered 
you, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and 
must it, shall it, be said of you, ye would not f 

' While the lamp holds out to burn, 
The vilest sinner may return.* 

God still waits to be gracious. Oh, then, escape for thy life — 
fly to the cross. Embrace Christ by ftiith. Come to Jesus just 
as you are, and he will save you. And to encourage you still 
further, let me urge you, by faith, to go to Calvary and gaze upon 
that wonderful scene. Do you see that dying thief hanging 
beside that dying Saviour? and hanging there upon the very 
verge of the eternal world, with a soul all stained with blood, 
guilt, theft, robbery, and murder, it would not have been sur- 
prising to hear him exclaim, ' It is too late,' yet with pierced 
hands and feet, with his life-blood flowing from his wounded 
heart, moved with the wonderful love, compassion, and meek- 
ness of Jesus exhibited on the cross, instead of crying ' it is too 
late,' he earnestly cries, ' Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou 
comest in thy kingdom ; ' and in answer to his prayer, in quick 
succession, with his guilty soul washed in the Saviour's blood, 
plucked as a brand from the burning, the dying Saviour re- 
sponds, 'To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise,' and the 
praying thief and vile malefactor went from the cross to the 
throne of God in heaven. Saved at the eleventh hour, in order 
to encourage just such cases as yours. Oh, then, say not, ' it is 
too late,' but let the lateness of the hour and the near approach 
of death arouse and bestir you to arise and come to Jesus at once. 
Then let the love of Christ constrain you, let the terrors of the 
Lord persuade you, let the crowns of glory, the palm of victory, 
and the joys of heaven entice you. Oh, then, delay no longer. 
And while Jesus is here offerino; and beseechina; vou to receive 
the crown of life, reach forth thy wounded hand and accept it. 
Remember, you must make an cfort — you must seek God with 
10 



146 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

all your heart. Resolve, like the prodigal son, ' I will arise.' 
And yet here you lay, like the man with the withered hand to 
whom Jesus said, Stretch forth thy hand ; and no sooner did the 
command drop from the lips of the omnipotent Saviour, than the 
man begins to stir, makes an effort, raises and stretches forth his 
withered hand, and immediately it was restored whole as the 
other. Jesus healed him, but not without an eifort on his part. 
So, if you will only make an effort, and resolve / loill arise, and go 
to my Father, while Jesus is standing with open arms to receive 
you, he will forgive your sins and save your soul. Oh, then, 
look and live, believe and be saved, and, as you die for your 
country, let the glorious, cheering news go home to your bereaved 
friends, and go home to heaven, that you died in the Lord." 

The curtain falls, and on the twenty-first day of April, 1865, 
the same day Macon, Ga., was captured by Gen. Wilson's cav- 
alry, and five days before the final surrender of the rebel army, 
right in the midst of the fall of the confederacy, while the nation 
was hotly pursuing the murderers of Abraham Lincoln, the soul 
of Edwin Vanwert, who, on his death-bed said, " It is too late," 
went to its long home. Sinner, beware. 

"IT IS BETTER TO DIE." 

Among many other interesting cases we found in the lonely 
Gangrene Camp was that of Robert Armstrong, 109th U. S., 
Co. I. At our first interview, we found him prayerful, tender, 
penitent, and resigned. Said he, "I prayed at home; but I have 
got wild since I came into the army. Yet I hope God has for- 
given my sins." " Do you think you love the Saviour, Robert?" 
" Yes, I love him ; and he is precious to me." I visited him 
very often, and frequently read and prayed with him. Though 
he suffered long and severe, he always seemed to be perfectly 
resigned. " Think you would be afraid to die, Robert ? " " No ; 
I am not afraid to die. I believe I could die happy." Deeply 
concerned for his wife, he handed me a few dollars, saying, " If 
I die, send that to her." At another interview, as he appeared 
to draw nearer to God with meek submission, he calmly said, 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 147 

" I am willing to go. All is well ! and I tliink it better to die." 
"Blessed be God for his sustaining, comforting grace! When 
* we are willing,' and when ' all is well/ it is better to die ! Then, 
as Paul says, * to die is gain,' and ' to depart is far better,' Death 
is only a change, only a ' departure,' or separation of the soul from 
the body. We live after death ; death is an advanced step in our 
state of existence ; hence, if prepared, to die is gain ! In death 
we lose 'a vile body,' Avhich, though very useful in this life, is a 
clog to the soul. The body is not only the occasion of disease, 
but it is also the source of a great many very expensive cares, 
fears, temptations, pains, and sorrows. At death, this mortal 
body is dismissed, and the disembodied spirit, washed in Christ's 
blood, divested of these heavy weights, is borne by angels to the 
mansions of the blessed. And ' it is better to die,' because by 
death the redeemed gain a great increase of knowledge. How 
great soever may be our mental attainments here, we remain 
ignorant of a great many things. God's providence is myste- 
rious, and his 'judgments are a great deep.' 'Now we know in 
part, but then we shall know even as we are known.' ' Now we 
see through a glass darkly, but then face to face.' Oh, how great 
the change ! how rich the gain ! And, in order to realize it more 
fully, let us contrast the Christian soldier's condition on earth 
with his condition in heaven. Here all is war and strife ; 
there all is joy and peace ; here we have conflict, there victory ; 
here we are in exile, there at home; here we suffer, there we 
reign ; this is the race, that the goal ; here we are strangers and 
pilgrims, there fellow-citizens with the saints. Contrast Paul on 
earth with Paul in heaven : here he wore a chain, there he wears 
a crown ; here he dwelt in prisons, there in mansions of light and 
glory ; here he hung upon the martyr's stake, there he sits upon 
the throne of God. Oh, then, let us strive so to live, that, when 
we come to depart, we may say, 'All is well ; ' so that it will ' be 
better to die.' " Robert Armstrong lived till June 2, 1865, 
when his soul went, we trust, to realize the gain and bliss of 
dying. It was refreshing to talk with him. "Be ye also 
ready ! " 



148 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

MIDNIGHT CALLS. 

Danger, when realized, M'ill always lead a man to look for refuge 
and some way of escape; hence "a drowning man will catch 
at a straw : " yet the careless and thoughtless sinner, blinded by 
sin and deceived by Satan, lying strongly intrenched in carnal 
security, feeling that all is well, cries peace and safety when 
sudden destruction is near. But when death threatens, and the 
grave yawns, and conscience begins to probe, and the clay tene- 
ment begins to give way, it is natural to look out for some way 
of escape. And thus alarmed, the trembling sinner, instead of 
flying directly to Christ, will often send for a spiritual adviser 
to point him to the Saviour. Even the old soldier of the cross, 
sometimes, getting under a cloud, lying upon his wearisome, 
lonely bed, would send for the chaplain at all hours of the night. 
And sometimes the patient would put it off till it was too late, 
and die ; calling for the chaplain, instead of calling upon God 
for salvation. Although God repeatedly says 'Ho-day,^^ the poor, 
blinded sinner, like Pharaoh, says " to-morrow."" And it is 
through this fatal delay, the devil cheats many a man out of the 
salvation of his soul. I recollect the case of a captain, with 
whom I prayed in an amputation-tent, who was carried back to 
his bed without being operated upon, whose wound shortly after 
proved fatal, who desired a call from me ; but his attending 
])rother refused until he was almost gone, and when I arrived 
reason was dethroned, and it was " too late ! " His wound had 
bled, frail nature gave way, and to see the brave soldier struggling 
in the agonies of death, and that too with an ungratified desire to 
see the chaplain about his spiritual condition, presented a scene 
solemn and lamentable. I recollect the case of an assistant sur- 
geon of the U. S. army, who seemed to be an humble Christian ; 
yet, while lying in Chesapeake Hospital, through surrounding 
discouragements, got into the fog, and began to doubt his interest 
in Christ, and giving way to a desponding frame, and fearing his 
sudden dissolution with the awful foreboding of dying unpre- 
pared, he sent for me about three o'clock in the morning. I got 
up, and, upon hastening to his room, found him iu deep dis- 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 149 

tress, cast clown, and feeling as though God had forsaken him, he 
was in deep agony of soul. " What distresses you, doctor ? " I 
said, as I approached him. " O chaplain, I feel most awful bad. 
I have been a professor for several years, and thought I enjoyed 
religion ; but now I feel as though I had lost it all." '' Don't 
be discouraged, doctor ; perhaps God is only trying you. Job 
says, 'Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.' God afflicts 
his own children in love and mercy ' for their profit,' and it is 
their duty to be resigned. The very fact of your deep concern 
about your salvation is clear evidence that you have not ' lost it 
all,' and that God has not forsaken you. Look up, ' be of good 
cheer ; ' Met not your heart be troubled ; ' ' cast thy burden upon 
the Lord, and he will sustain thee.' Bring all your troubles, 
doubts, and fears, and lay them at the foot of the cross, and 
throw yourself, just as you are, right into the arms of Jesus, and 
he will lift the burden from your troubled soul. Your soul- 
trouble, doubtless, arises from your disease of body ; and if you 
will but remember the troubles and sufferings of Jesus, it will 
help to release you." With a few words of exhortation and com- 
fort, and a word of prayer, we bade him good-night, and left him 
much releaved of his doubts and fears. Rising out of his slough 
of despond, the doctor soon got well, and returned to duty. 

Another very touching case was that of a private soldier, lying at 
the point of death in the lonely Gangrene Camp. It was a cold, 
chilly night in November, when, summoned by the call of this 
dying soldier, we approached his tent, near midnight. Lit up 
with the pale light of the moon, and the candle dimly burning, 
we approached the lonely bedside of the heroic patriot. Gazing 
upon his placid eye and serene countenance, we soon saw he bore 
the image of Christ; and, instead of being perplexed with doubts 
and fears, found him rejoicing in the God of his salvation. And 
feeling that the time of his departure was near at hand, he said, 
" I have sent for you, chaplain, to administer a word of comfort 
in my last hours ; and to request you to write a letter of sym- 
pathy and consolation to my dear wife and children after I am 
dead and gone ; and tell them that I died happy in Christ, re- 
questing them to strive to meet me in heaven." After a very 



150 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 

refreshing interview with him about his religious experience and 
suiferings of the past, and his bright prospects for the future, 
closing with reading an appropriate passage of Scripture and a 
word of prayer, commending him to the God of all grace, we bade 
him a long farewell. He died next day. 

After visiting two other patients close by, we closed our noctur- 
nal visits for the night. These nightly calls were always attended 
with more than usual interest. The stillness of the night, as well 
as the peculiar circumstances of the occasion, always added much 
to the impressiveness and solemnity of the scene. A dying 
man, a bleeding soldier, an anxious sinner, the fear of death, to- 
gether with the stern realities of the external world drawing nigh 
and rising in full view before them, always tended to deeply 
impress not only the thoughtful, but the most careless and indif- 
ferent. But these were not the only impressive sights we saw in 
our nightly visits ; there were others also deeply solemn. " See 
there ! Do you see that corpse wrapped in a winding-sheet carried 
along on a stretcher by those four men ? " " Yes ; who are 
they ? " " They are the nurses from one of the wards. One of 
the patients has died, and they are carrying his body to the dead 
house." " Who 's dead, boys ? " " Emanuel Byers, from ward 
twelve." " What ! Byers dead ? Why, he was much better this 
morning ! " " Yes ; but the tying of his artery gave way to- 
niffht, and he soon bled to death." " Gone at last ! " He had 
prayed and wept much ; and as death drew near to him, he 
seemed to draw nigh to God. Among his last words, he said, 
" I am resting on Christ, sure." And, doubtless, for him " to 
depart was far better." Though his body was bathed in his own 
blood, yet with his soul washed in the blood of Jesus, we trust 
he has gone to swell the ranks of the blood-washed throng in 
heaven. And as they bore away his pale corpse, by the light of 
the moon, to deposit it in a red coffin in the dead house, we were 
deeply impressed with the solemn thought that we, too, must 
soon die. Yet death was so common, and we all got so used to 
it, that, while in the army and in the hospital, it seemed gener- 
ally to make but little impression. When a patient died, the 
soldiers called it ^^ getting discharged,^' or "getting his red over- 
coat," meaning his red coffin. 



CHEISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 151 



CHAPTER XI. 

SCENES IN ANDERSONVILLE. 

The Prison — Its Condition — Cruel Treatment — " Can this be 
Hell?" — Prisoners' Awful Condition — Mortality One Hun- 
dred AND Fifty a Day — Apathy of U. S. Government toward 
Them— Hundreds Died of Broken Hearts — Many went De- 
ranged, and turned Maniacs — A School and Church there 
Now — "The Dead-Line" — Execution of Union Prisoners — 
Band of Robbers and Murderers — Six Tried, and Condemned 
TO BE Hung — Awful Tragic Scene — They Expected to the 
Last to Escape — The Crisis of Andersonville — Murder will 
Out — Patriotism in Andersonville — " I would rather have 
Died a Dozen Deaths " — "I am not Sorry that I Enlisted " — 
Your Patriotism never Dies: "It is Stronger than Death" 
— Died Praying for Victory — Andersonville Hospital: an 
AWFUL Place — No Beds but Bare Ground — Rations — Diet — 
Enlarged — The Food would Produce Disease among Swine — 

• The Moonlight Prayer - Meeting — Religion Sweetens the 
Bitterest Cup. 

ALTHOUGH Andersonville before the war was a small, in- 
significant village of four houses, one church, and a post- 
office, situated in Sumpter county, Ga., it has now a world-wide 
notoriety. And of all rebel prisons, for cruel torture, revenge, 
wretchedness, starvation, murder, and death, there were none 
equal to it. Belle Isle was awful, Libby was intolerable, but 
for double-distilled cruelty, Andersonville excelled all. With 
thirty-five thousand starved, half-naked prisoners crowded into 
an area of some twenty-five acres, literally covered all over with 
lice and vermin ; breathing an atmosphere filled with poisonous, 
fetid odors, arising from sinks and putrid corpses, it presented 
a scene awfully terrible and horrible beyond description. The 
very thought of it is appalling. To think of it carries the mind 
down to the infernal regions, and makes one think of the tor- 
ments of hell. And so appalling was the scene, and hoi'rible 
the sight, that the brave heroes captured at Plymouth, u2)on 



152 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

entering it, out of the depths of their feelings and burning 
indignation, instinctively exclaimed, " Can this be hell ? can this 
be hell?" and feeling their need of divine help, there arose 
from many a pious heart the earnest prayer, " Lord, have mercy. 
May God protect us." Adding to the loathsomeness and wretch- 
edness of this horrible place, was a large swamp of three or four 
acres, extending half-way across the camp, through which ran a 
small brook, three or four feet wide, which, with a few small 
springs and wells, was the only supply of water for all this vast 
throng of suffering humanity. The water generally was so 
thoroughly impregnated with filth and excreiuent, that it was 
entirely unfit for use ; yet, rather than die with thirst, the poor 
fellows drank it with avidity. Here, into this "slaughter-pen," 
our brave patriots were dragged in from Belle Isle, Castle 
Thunder, Pemberton, Danville, and Libby prisons by hundreds 
and thousands. And when any of these unfortunate sufferers 
were fortunate enough, by digging immense tunnels, to escape, 
the rebel tyrants hunted them down like dogs, with fierce blood- 
hounds, brought them back, and punished them most inhumanly 
for their struggling to get out. Here, huddled together, without 
shelter to protect them from the drenching rains, winter's cold 
and summer's heat, with no bed but the bare ground, and some- 
times dying at the rate of some one hundred and fifty a day, and 
compelled to endure the malignant contempt, abuse, and reproach 
of the rebel tyrants, their condition was indescribably wretched 
and awful. But the most unpleasant thing of all to them, says 
one of their number, was the apparent apathy of the Federal 
Government toward them, and its want of efforts to rescue them 
from the iron lieel of their unmerciful 0])pressors. Cut off from 
all communication with the North, and the rebels laboring to 
convince them that their Northern friends had forsaken them, 
they succeeded in fastening the conviction upon the hearts of 
some that the Federal Government had abandoned them. And 
to feel themselves thus forsaken in times of deep distress, is one 
of the hardest things to endure. 

Having voluntarily left their homes at their country's call, 
and ready to fight and die for its honor and defence, and now to 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR.' 153 

be neglected and forsaken, as they felt themselves to be, was 
enough to crush and break the heart of the most noble and 
devoted patriot. To endure sickness, hunger, thirst, and rebel 
contumely was awful hard ; but nothing compared to the grief 
and anguish of soul arising from the conviction — although it 
was not true — that the Government, the army, the navy, and 
their friends at the North had forsaken them ; and so severe was 
this trial to them, and the awful cruel treatment they received, 
that hundreds sank away, and died of broken hearts; many 
went deranged, and became maniacs; others, filled with despair, 
and preferring death to such a wretched life, crossed the dead-line 
in order to be shot. Having suffered there so long and so ex- 
tremely severe, without knowing of any effort on the part of the 
Government to relieve them ; and the rebels doing all they could 
to convince them that the Government had forsaken them ; and 
thus try to induce them to join the confederacy, and having no 
means of ascertaining the feelings of the Government toward 
them ; and struggling along through such horrible scenes of filth, 
cruelty, and murder — it is no wonder that many gave way to 
despair, and turned maniacs. This stronghold of cruelty was at 
first designed for but ten thousand men, and contained but six- 
teen acres ; but it was afterward enlarged to twenty-five acres. 
And, although there have been volumes written about the suffer- 
ings and atrocious cruelties perpetrated upon our soldiers in 
Andersonville, the half will never be told. Language fails to 
express it. The fifty acres of graves, and the sacred spot where 
lie the moi'tal remains of thirteen thousand heroic martyrs who 
perished there, will doubtless be guarded, and preserved, and 
adorned with appropriate monuments, handing down to future 
generations, through all coming time, the cruel torture there 
inflicted, and the heroic patriotism there manifested by our un- 
flinching heroes. It is said that, when a train of cars approaches 
this consecrated spot, every eye is strained to see it, and every 
voice is hushed in silence as the train rolls slowly by. The 
power of association is so great while approaching near the pre- 
cious dust of these immortal heroes, that the heart so fills with 
sympathy and indignation that the tongue is mute in contem- 



154 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

plating the tragic, horrible scenes of their sufferings and death. 
It is an encouraging, pleasing fact to know that the " American 
Missionary Association " has recently established a school and a 
church in this noted place. This is progress in the right direc- 
tion ; and God said, " Let there be light ! " 

"THE DEAD-LINE." 

As our Union soldiers approached Andersonville prison, they 
wei'e warned by those outside, "Beioare of the Dead-Line." And 
" What is that ? " said one. It is a slender wooden railing; 
extending all around inside, and about a rod from the inner 
stockade of the prison, which, if a prisoner ajiproached, passed or 
attempted to pass, to get a drink of water, or for any other pur- 
pose, he met with certain death from the vigilant sentinel, charged 
with strict orders to shoot every man who attempts to pass that 
fatal line. There goes a poor thirsty prisoner, just ready to die 
with thirst ; he crawls up to slake his parched tongue, all un- 
conscious of his danger, without knowing of the barbarous law 
or order ; the eye of the bloodthirsty guard is upon him ; but 
encouraged by the sight of the cooling brook, his languid eye 
sparkles with joy at the bright prospect of a refreshing drink ; 
along he drags his frail body buoyant with hope ; but, alas ! as 
he was about to realize his fond expectation, the ruthless rebel 
raises his gun, takes a deadly aim, and, without a moment's 
warning, the loyal patriot falls a lifeless corpse, bathed in his 
own life's blood. And just here let me say to you, my impeni- 
tent friend, God has his " dead-line," beyond which, if you go in 
life, eternal death is your certain inevitable doom. Where is 
it? Just where the sinner commits "the sin unto death;" 
grieves and quenches the Holy Spirit, until he ceases to strive 
with him. Although God is slow to wrath, full of compassion, 
and abundant in mercy, and vmits to be gracious, yet he will not 
wait always; for there is a point — a "dead-line" — beyond which, 
if the sinner goes, he sins away his day of grace ; and then for 
him "there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain 
fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation ; " and 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 155 

then, being "past feeling," and "joined to his idols," God pro- 
nounces the awful sentence, ^'Let him alone ! " and then his con- 
demnation is sealed forever. God spared and warned the ante- 
diluvian world one hundred and twenty years ; but when they 
had gone on in sin, " treasuring up wrath against the day of 
wrath," until their cup was full, and the earth was filled with 
violence, God says, " My spirit shall not always strive with man ;" 
and he issues his decree, and declares, " I will destroy man whom 
I have created from the face of the earth." But Noah having 
found grace in God's sight, God commanded him to build an ark 
to the saving of his house. The ark being finished, "the Lord 
said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark;" 
and they, and two of every living species went in ; and God 
having shut them in, the closing of the ark's jionderous door 
upon its huge hinges announced to a dying world the day of 
mercy is over, and the day of wrath begun. It was then, with 
those excluded, too late. The door was shut. They had passed 
the dead-line of God's mercy, and God swears, in his wrath, that 
"they shall not enter into his rest." (Heb. iii. 11.) And now the 
rain falls in torrents, the windows of heaven are opened, and the 
fountains of the great deep are broken up, and the whole earth 
was deluged, and all out of the ark perished in the mighty flood. 
Take, for example, the almost Christian, one with whom the 
good spirit and the evil spirit are both striving. Satan strives to 
drag him down to hell, and the Holy Spirit strives to raise him 
up to heaven. How critical his condition ; how momentous the 
conflict ! It is the Grisis of the soul. Standing upon the pivot 
of eternity, seemingly, a small influence decides his destiny for- 
ever. Oh, how critical his condition ! Another crooked step, 
one more sinful thrust against the Spirit's wooing voice, may 
l:)anish him forever from your breast, carry you across the fatal 
line, and seal your damnation in hell forever. Oh, then, strive 
that you " quench not the Spirit," but cherish and yield to his im- 
pressions ; let him come into your soul, and take possession of 
your heart ! A man who has lost his way in a dark, dreary 
mine, and can only find his way out, and save his life, by a candle 
he carries in his hand, would be very careful how he carries it, lest 



156 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 

it be blown out, and let him perisli in darkness. So should the 
almost Christian take great heed, lest he quench the Spirit, and 
let him perish forever. Oh, then, reader, let this be your case ; 
let us beseech you, by the mercies of God, by the love of Christ, 
and by the joys of heaven, yield to the Spirit, and come to Jesus,, 
and come just now! 

EXECUTION OF UNION PRISONERS. 

Man is a creature of circumstances. We are all influenced 
very much by our surroundings; and whether or not it rose 
from the hardening influence of the barbarous, cruel treatment 
our men received in Andersonville, there was a large gang of 
robbers, who made it their business to beat, plunder, and murder 
prisoners as they came into camp, and as opportunity favored. 
This outrageous work was suffered to go on until it rose to such 
a height it proved its own destruction. As new prisoners came 
in, those thieves availed themselves of every opportunity to rob 
them. Seizing a new comer, one day, as he entered the prison, 
after lacerating his head and beating him most severely, they 
robbed him of his watch and one hundred and seventy-five dol- 
lars in greenbacks. He made complaint to Capt. Wirz, and the 
fact spread throughout the prison. And filled with indignation 
at such enormous cruelty, the -whole camp became thoroughly 
aroused, and armed with clubs, etc., a large crowd collected and 
proceeded to arrest the robbers as fast as possible, and hand them 
over to the rebel guards outside, to keep them for trial by our 
own men. On the next day, aided by the rebel quartermaster, 
sergeants, and guards, guided by a noted character known as 
" Limber Jim," and his comrades, they soon arrested about fifty, 
and twelve of our newly arrived men Avere appointed to try 
them. Under their tents were found money, pistols, knives, and 
a few dead bodies. And upon satisfactory evidence, six of them 
were convicted, and found guilty of robbery and murder, and 
sentenced to be hung till dead. Those not found thus guilty 
were sent back into the prison, and made to run the gauntlet 
between a long row of deeply-incensed men, who so furiously 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 157 

pelted them with ckibs and stones, that one was killed in tlie 
fnrious action. The day of execution, July 12, 1864, having 
arrived, a gallows was erected in the prison, and at half-past 
four P.M., mounted on horseback, dressed in spotless white, Capt. 
Wirz came in with the six condemned murderers and robbers 
under guard, and delivered them up to the vigilance committee, 
saying, " These men have been tried and convicted by their own 
fellows, and I now return them to you in as good condition as 
I received them. You can now do with them as your reason, 
justice, and mercy dictates. And may God protect both you 
and them." After their sentence was announced, the Catholic 
priest camfe and plead most earnestly for their lives; but seeing 
that he prevailed nothing, and convinced that the poor unfor- 
tunate men must goon die, he began to try to induce them to 
" prepare to meet their God." He talked and prayed with them. 
And yet, believing that the whole aifair was disguised merely to 
frighten them, the whole doomed six exhibited a degree of won- 
derful unconcern about their awful impending crisis. Vain, 
delusive hope ! Blinded by sin, hardened by crime, and de- 
ceived by their false hopes, like the careless sinner, they cried 
peace and safety when sudden destruction was near. How 
awful and tragic the scene ! Tried, condemned, sentenced to be 
hung dead, and standing at the foot of the gallows, gazed upon 
by tens of thousands, and yet expect to escape. And it was not 
until they ascended the gallows that they began to feel that it 
was a reality, and that they were about to be executed. " Be 
suf'e your sins ivilljlnd you out." " Murder will, ouV^ As they 
were about to mount the scaifold, one of them made a desperate 
lunge, broke away, and ran through the swamp to the opposite 
side of the prison. But mark ye, it was no escape. The decree 
had gone forth, " you must hang; " and tlie enraged crowd, eager 
for his execution, soon arrested and brought him back, with a 
countenance filled with wretchedness and despair, and securely 
placed him with his condemned comrades. Oh, how awful and 
lamentable the tragic scene! There they stand — six American 
soldiers, prisoners of war, sentenced to be hung for robbing and 
murdering their own fellow-soldiers and captives in Anderson- 



158 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

ville prison ! What a foul blot upon American soldiery ; and 
what a deep disgrace to the United States army ! An opportunity 
was given them to speak, but they had but little to say. After 
a few words of advice, and requesting their comrades to take 
warning by their sad fate, meal-sacks were drawn over their 
heads, and the dreaded ropes being adjusted, all is ready. A 
short pause ensues ; all eyes are fixed. It is the crisis of Ander- 
sonville, and to the condemned the crisis of the soul. The awful 
form of death seems to stand out before them. " The door of 
the eternal world is swinging open ; " the grave yawns to receive 
them. Crime, judgment, and stern retribution are making their 
terrible impressions. " Swift, vivid thoughts are in every heart, 
and the prayer,' God have mercy on them, falls from many a 
lip." The hour is up; their time is out. The drop falls, and 
they are launched from time into eternity. There they hang, 
swinging in the air, gone to reap the fruits of their own doings 
in their eternal reward. How sad ! " The way of the trans- 
gressor is hard." Let him take warning. 

PATRIOTISM IN ANDERSONVILLE. 

With all the excruciating torments inflicted on our brave 
patriots in Andersonville, Avith few exceptions, their heroic devo- 
tion to their country never abated ; though surrounded with filth, 
cruelty, starvation, murder, and death, they still clung to the 
dear old flag with unyielding pertinacity, choosing rather to die 
martyrs than traitors. While a few took the oath of allegiance 
and joined the confederacy, expecting thereby to escape and flee 
to our lines, the great body of the men stood, with unshaken 
confidence and unflinching hearts, for God and their country ! 
This was the true spirit of martyrdom. To face the belching 
cannon, to storm batteries, make charges, and capture forts, re- 
quires pluck and strong courage ; but to face starvation, hunger, 
and murder, to drag out a life more intolerable than death itself, 
amidst such fiendish cruelty and barbarity as characterized this 
slaughter-pen, required something more than pluck and courage. 
And to endure all this, when the Government, which they had so 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 159 

nobly volunteered to defend, treated them, as they thought, with 
such a spirit of indiiference as led them to believe it had forsaken 
them, manifested a self-sacrificing heroism unparalleled in the 
history of the world; and sometimes, when a number reduced to 
the extremity of want, with death staring them in the face, did 
go over to the confederacy, the feeling of the great mass of the 
soldiers was, "/ loould rather have died a dozen deaths than he 
guilty of such disloyalty." After they had been years in the 
army, and several months in Andersonville, we hear them say, 
"/ am not sorry that I enlisted." No ; true patriotism, like 
true love, never dies out : it is stronger than death. And with 
the unquenchable fire burning in their bones, and blazing upon 
the altar of their hearts, thirteen thousand brave martyrs, rather 
than turn traitors, chose to die amidst the devouring cruelties 
and torments of Andersonville, and left their uncoffined bones to 
tell the tragic story of their sad fate. Being excluded from the 
world, and deprived of all news from the army and the progress 
of the war, except what they heard from prisoners coming in, 
their condition was not only inexpressibly wretched, but dreary 
and lonely ; yet, like the captive Jews in Babylon, they never 
forgot their country. Dejected, discouraged, and heart-broken 
a% they were, yet, methinks, I can hear them exclaiming, in the 
language of the Psalmist, " If I forget thee, O my country, let 
my right hand forget her cunning ! " etc. (Ps. cxxxvii. 5, 6.) 
Hence, with all their cruelties, when any encouraging news came 
from the army, crowds would collect, and sing with joy a few 
patriotic songs, such as " Red, White, and Blue," " My Country," 
and " Star-Spangled Banner ; " at which the rebel guards were 
surprised and somewhat confused, as though they hardly knew 
what it meant. Devotedly attached to their country, and having 
so long shared each others' hardships and misfortunes, they be- 
came warmly attached to each other; and, says one of them, 
" We loved each other as brothers." Even in the hospital, while 
racked with pain, and writhing in agony from the most malignant 
forms of diarrhoea, dropsy, and scurvy, they expressed their 
strongest desires and most earnest longings for success and victory 
to crown our arms. Their patriotism was of the undying kind. 



160 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

With the same heroic devotion with which they went forth to 
fight the battles of their country, firmly clinging to the dear old 
flag, they died the most excruciable deaths possible for rebel 
tyrants to inflict. The severe shock of battle, and all the unut- 
terable horrors of starvation, death, and murder of Andersonville, 
failed to lessen their unfaltering devotion to their bleeding coun- 
try, and dying even by starvation and torture, martyr-like, their 
last prayers were for victory and Union. 

ANDERSONVILLE HOSPITAL. 

The word hospital usually means a place where sick and 
wounded are nursed and cared for ; but here it seemed more like 
mockery. The hospital, at first, was inside the stockade, on both 
sides of the run passing through the prison. The indescribable 
filth, the pestilential air, and the utter want of comfort and atten- 
tion to the patients was perfectly awful. The very sight of the 
inside was sickening and horribly revolting. With a poor, scanty, 
sickly diet, and many with nothing fit to eat ; with but little medi- 
cine, and no beds but the naked ground ; with no tents, and but 
very scanty covering of any kind, the very thought of going into 
such a horrible place was enough to make a Avell man sick. 
The number of patients was never large, seldom much over two 
hundred ; not because there were but few sick, but because they 
died as fast as they took them in, and because, if a sick man had 
any friends, he preferred to run his chance outside. It was 
almost certain death to go there, and they never went until the 
very last resort. To come out alive was wonderful. And yet, 
withal, there was little or no complaint among the patients. 
About the first of June, 1864, a much more comfortable hospital, 
containing about four acres, was fitted uj) outside the stockade, 
near one hundred rods from the prison. Regularly laid out 
with a few shady trees and inferior tents, and with a stream of 
water passing through it, the accommodation and comforts were 
far superior to the former. About a month later, it was again 
sufficiently enlarged to accommodate twenty-five hundred pa- 
tients, and seven hundred were admitted in one day. To be 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 161 

admitted into the hospital, the patient had to attend the sick-call^ 
to which one thousand or twelve hundred poor lingering sufferers 
Avould come out daily, seeking relief. Hundreds were brought 
in blankets ; and the number received into the hospital corre- 
sponded with the number of vacancies occasioned by death the 
past twenty-four hours. And here the poor sick fellows, scorched 
with burning fevers, were often left standing in the hot sun all 
day without anything to eat or drink. How awful their suffer- 
ings ! Stern indignity, heartless cruelty, and ruthless inhumanity 
seemed to characterize every act of treatment. A shivering suf- 
ferer was shot by the guard, and had his leg broken above the 
knee, for warming himself by the guard's fire; his leg was 
amputated, and he died shortly after. Such cases of extreme 
cruelty were frequent. The nurses would often search and rob the 
dying patients before they were entirely dead. The rations per day 
were two ounces of meat and a piece of coarse corn-bread, about 
two inches square, made of corn and cobs all ground up together. 
In very bad cases, they were allowed two gills of flour, and occa- 
sionally a little loathsome rice. What a mess for sick men in a 
land of plenty ; not better than ordinary hog feed ! Some of the 
surgeons often complained, and said, "/S'ome of the food furnished 
the patients would produce disease among swineJ' 

The principal diseases were chronic diarrhoea, scurvy, dropsy, 
and typhoid fever ; all in their most malignant forms. In cases 
of dropsy, the sufferings were extreme. Sometimes the limbs of 
the poor sufferers would burst open and fill up with maggots ; 
and the pain would become so severe, they would cry out with 
agony for some one to come and kill them. In other cases, it 
would affect the extremities, and disable the patients from walk- 
ing ; with others, it would settle in the mouth, and so affect the 
gums that the teeth would all drop out at once, and leave the 
patient entirely toothless. Says a prisoner : " I have seen hun- 
dreds of cases in this disease, where the men have actually starved 
to death, because they Avere unable to eat the coarse food furnished 
them by the confederates." 

Living among such awful filth and impurities, the blood of 
the men generally became so impure that the least break of the 
11 



162 CHEISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

skin usually led to gangrene, subsequent amputation, and con- 
sequent death. Exposed to the hot rays of a scorching sun, the 
upper surface of the foot often became blistered, which would 
break, and leave the foot all raw ; and, becoming gangrenous, a 
loss of the foot was inevitable, and death generally ensued from 
amputation. The patients subjected to amputation averaged six 
or seven daily, and they almost invariably died. A great many 
suffered most cruelly from the use of poisonous vaccine matter 
and from the exposure to the burning rays of the sun, and, from 
a combination of cruelties, many went totally blind. Kaining 
for twenty-one days in succession, in June, 1864, tended much to 
increase the svTffering and mortality. With fifteen thousand 
prisoners, without any shelter, huddled up together in such a 
slaughter pen as this, where it took the healthiest prisoner three 
hours each day to divest himself of the abounding pestiferous 
lice, together with the awful surroundings, must have presented 
a scene the most appalling and horrible the eye of mortal man 
ever beheld. Nearly three thousand died during August, 1864. 
Some of the surgeons complained of their fare in strong terms 
to the higher authorities ; but their cries were disregarded. 

The men seemed to cling to life with a wonderful tenacity. 
Fired with heroic zeal for the salvation of the Union, hope 
buoyed them up until life was almost extinct. With a gradual, 
constant decline, they usually passed away at last so suddenly 
and unexpectedly that they often failed to realize the approach 
of death, and said but little about dying. Almost dead and 
dying for days, they seemed to pass off without much pain. Some 
gave bright evidences of preparation, and, leaving their dying 
messages to be sent home, died triumphant deaths, and, with 
their souls washed in Christ's blood, went from this awful scene 
of suffering to "where the wicked cease to trouble, and the 
weary are forever at rest." 

Such, reader, is but a very faint description of the untold and 
awful cruelties and sufferings of Andersonville Hospital. But 
the HALF is not told. The facts beggar all description. 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 163 

THE MOONLIGHT PRAYER-MEETING. 

]S'ot^vitllsta^cling the intolerable suffering and untold cruelties 
of Andersonville, though distressed, forlorn, and cast down, 
many of the suffering heroes often met for prayer and supplica- 
tion. Although the rebels cut off their communication with the 
outer world, yet they could not prevent their communion with 
God. Deeply realizing their need of Divine help, with no 
covering but the canopy of heaven, and no light but that of the 
moon, yet enlightened by God's spirit, and cojistrained by Christ's 
love, they often met, read God's Avord, sung and prayed ; and 
pouring out their souls and hearts unto God in prayer for 
protection and deliverance, they enjoyed precious times of re- 
freshing ; and, says one of them, " We could pray as well, or 
better, there, than at home." And there, like David, with their 
" souls among lions," yet, like him, with their hearts stayed and 
fixed upon God, they sang and gave praise. (Ps. Ivii.) There, 
like imprisoned, fettered Paul and Silas, though encompassed 
with a strong stockade, an insolent guard, and a terrible " dead- 
line," yet, like Daniel in the lions' den, drawing nigh unto 
God, they felt that the Lord of hosts was with them. There, 
surrounded with the dead and dying, and feeling that the salva- 
tion of their comrades, under God, depended upon their prayers, 
and becoming so deeply interested and praying so earnestly for 
their salvation and protection, they almost forgot their imprison- 
ment. In this we see the power of the Christian religion to 
sustain, strengthen, and comfort. With warm, ardent love to 
Christ, and strong faith in Jesus, religion will lighten the heav- 
iest burden and sweeten the bitterest cup. 



164 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 



CHAPTER XII. 

THEEXCHANGE. 

Long Looked for — Many Exchanging Time for Eternity — 
They Cheer the Old Flag — "It never Seemed so Dear" — 
They Wept Profusely — Eejoicing — Sung j'he "Battle-Cry op 
Freedom " — What a Happy, Grateful Crowd — Furloughed 
Home Thirty Days — The Departure — " Be Eeady to Depart " 
— Filled with Rejoicing — They Cried, "Thank God! Thank 
God ! " — "The Year of Jubilee is come " — Loud Shouts of Joy 

BURST FROM THOUSANDS — FAREWELL, AnDERSONVILLE — SAD DIS- 
APPOINTMENT — It WAS NO Exchange : Only a Eemoval — " Hope 
Deferred maketh the Heart Sick." 

ALTHOUGH they had been sadly deceived, disappointed, 
and made heartsick by frequent false promises of release, 
at last a day of deliverance arrives. To the poor half-starved, 
suffering heroes, it was a glorious day. Deliverance from the 
atrocious cruelties and tyranny of Andersonville, Florence, 
Milan, etc., was almost like life from the dead. It is one of the 
great events of the war. Behold the brave heroes, ten thousand 
poor half-starved, shoeless, hatless, shirtless men, almost naked, 
whose blackened skin, blackened by filth and dirt, hung loosely 
upon their protruding frames. There they are, the maimed, the 
halt, the blind — tlie sons, brothers, husbands of the North. 
Brave, heroic men! some who have dragged out a life more in- 
tolerable than death itself, but at last to be exchanged ; but 
with many, alas, it is too late ! Tliey are dying, exchanging 
time for eternity. But wuth the great mass it is a day of ecstatic 
joy and rejoicing. As they drew near and saw the glorious old 
flag, they gave it three most hearty cheers. And w4ien they 
stepped upon the steamers, and fully realized that they were final- 
ly cut loose from rebeldom, they gave three more grateful cheers, 
and began to sing "The Battle-Cry of Freedom," "Rally Round 
the Flag, Boys," etc. The men divest themselves of their filthy 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 1G5 

rags and throw them into the river or furnace, wash off, and, 
after putting on new and comfortable clothing, they rejoiced 
with joy unspeakable ! A large lot of prisoners from Florence 
sailed down from Savannah to Venus Point, the place of ex- 
change, in the Beauregard, Gen. Lee, and Jeff. Davis. The 
Beaw'egard bore the flag of truce, carried the officers ; and the 
other two steamers, the privates. Rounding Fort Jackson, they 
hove in sight of the splendid Union fleet waiting to receive 
them, Avith the dear old flag waving its beautiful folds, welcom- 
ing them back to its protection. " Never before," said one, " did 
it seem so dear." Grateful for their deliverance, and rejoicing over 
their exchange, gazing upon it, they wept profusely. After the 
commissioners of the two fleets. Col. Mulford of the Union, and 
Capt. Hatch of the Confederates, had a short interview, an ar- 
rangement was agreed upon, and the rebel boats soon sided up 
to the Union transports. Star of the South, the Crescent, and 
the Neio Yorh, and the long-wished-for exchange began. They 
first stepped on the Star of the South, the " receiving ship," 
hence to the Neio York, the " clothing ship," where, after bath- 
ing, and casting off their lice and old tattered garments, once 
very valuable to them, they all received new and comfortable 
clothing. Then going aboard of the Orescent, the " feeding 
ship," their craving appetites were once more satisfied, with 
gratitude inexpressible, upon a good army meal. " What a feast 
it was," exclaimed one half-starved fellow; and "that pint of 
hot coffee," to them, was like nectar. They were one of the 
happiest crowds on earth. Rescued from an untimely grave, 
the chilly rains of autumn, and the scorching sun of summer, 
and delivered from the tyranny of Capt. Wirz, and sailing home- 
Avard-bound under the glorious stars and stripes, language fails 
to express their gratitude and joy. They sung, danced, and 
rejoiced exceedingly. Those too feeble to participate were highly 
cheered by looking on. Getting aboard the regular transports, 
they bade a final farewell to Dixie, and sailed for Annapolis, Md., 
where they were joyfully and heartily received with the cheering 
strains of Hail Columbia, l)y the Marine Band. Thus ended 
their prison-life; for heart-rending cruelties, atrocious barbarity. 



166 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

and fiendish tyranny, unequalled upon the face of the earth. 
Receiving two months' pay and a commutation for rations, all 
that were able received a thirty days' furlough, and away they 
went in haste to see the loved ones at home. This exchange 
took place about the eighteenth or twentieth of November, 1864, 
at Venus Point, near Savannah, on the Savannah River, Ga. 
Many had been in captivity from nine to fifteen months. What 
a glorious deliverance ! 

THE DEPARTURE. 

After many warm, earnest, pathetic appeals to the Government 
in behalf of the prisoners perishing for relief; after many false 
promises of a speedy exchange from Capt. "Wirz ; and having 
so often realized " that hope deferred maketh the heart sick," at 
length the decree "Let my people go,'' went forth, and the heart- 
cheering order, "Be ready to depart,'' spread throughout the 
camp like wild fire. It put new life in everybody. All are 
now on tiptoe with rejoicing; and overflowing with gratitude 
and joy upon the glorious deliverance, with gushing hearts many 
exclaimed, " Thank God ! thank God ! " and began to fix up, 
and make ready to depart. Fooled and disappointed so often, 
soon doubts begin to rise in their minds ; and, as the encouraging 
news spread throughout the camp, the anxious inquiry, "Is it 
so f is it so f " went forth from many a throbbing heart ; and, 
as it met with a speedy respond, " Yes, yes ! " by the messenger, 
loud shouts of joy and rejoicing rose ifi quick succession from 
thousands of glad hearts — 

"The year of jubilee is come, 
Return, ye ransomed sinners, home ! " 

It inspired everybody with fresh life and courage. To be 
delivered from Andersonville was almost like deliverance from 
hell. What a stir throughout the camp ; what a shaking among 
the dry bones ! Every one is astir, on the alert, gathering up his 
jew things, and making his last call with his frail comrades too 
weak to go ! (It is about the first of September, 1864.) And wliile 
all this excitement and preparation to leave Andersonville for ex- 



CHEISTIAXITY IX THE WAR. 167 

■ Isange was going on, many are just exchanging time for eternity. 
> I struggle through all the torments of Anderson ville up to tlie 
Mur of exchange, and then die, seemed unusually hard. But it 
-temed " thus it must be ! " (Matt. xxvi. 54.) Others too weak 
to go, it seemed hard to leave. To bid a final farewell to a dear 
comrade, with whom they had so long shared the hardships and 
horrors of war, amid such awful circumstances, was indeed 
trying ; it was hard for those going, and much harder for those 
left. A hearty, warm sigh and a gushing tear, a good Avish and 
a hearty " May God bless you ! " was all they could do ; and 
while they were pronouncing the final '^farewell" the cry, ^^ There 
they go ! " flashed across the camp, and thousands of the heroic 
braves, together with the maimed, halt, and blind, were seen 
marching up and passing that gate which had so long held them 
in captivity, and through which thirteen thousand brave patriots 
brought in alive had been carried out dead. Farewell, Anderson- 
ville; farewell, thou hell of earth and "plague-spot of creation!" 
let thy name go down to posterity as synonymous with cruelty, 
starvation, atrocity, death, and murder ! Thou Avilt be remem- 
bered only with the saddest associations. The awful sufferings 
there endured, and the reproach, gross insult, abuse, and vindic- 
tive revenge there poured out upon the brave heroes by those 
malignant rebels, will never be forgotten. As they marched out, 
they were divided into small companies of sixty each, and tot- 
tered over to the depot, the stronger supporting the weak. With 
sixty in a car (freight-car), with a little corn-bread and rancid ^ 
bacon for their rations, and a bucket to get water, away they 
went through the beautiful scenes of Georgia. Shut up so long 
as they had been, the green trees, beautiful foliage, thrifty grass, 
and fine flowers, and the pure air, to them appeared most lovely 
and delightful. By sunset, next evening, they arrived at Au- 
gusta, where they were detained a long while, and were much 
refreshed through the great kindness of the generous citizens, 
who did what they could to administer to their wants in supply- 
ing them with good water, biscuits, meat, and delicacies for the 
sick. They were received with the warmest gratitude, without 
knowing whether they caine from loyalists or disloyalists. How 



168 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

very striking the contrast between the tyranny and cruelty of 
Andersonville and the warm sympathy and kindness of Au- 
gusta ! Here all was kindness and good-will, there all was hatred 
and revenge; here the kind people labored to save the lives of 
the prisoners, there they labored to destroy them ; here they were 
treated like men, there like hogs and wild beasts ! 

Here our captive heroes met a confederate prisoner from the 
North (from Johnson's Island), who, when asked by our men 
how he fared while a prisoner, promptly replied, " Very well, in- 
deed, sir ! We had plenty of good food, and vegetables ' quite 
often ; ' " and to compare his stout, robust, healthy appearance 
with our half-starved, pale, feeble, disheartened men, the contrast 
was most striking. The next day, at three P. M., they arrived 
at Charleston, S.C., and, to their great surprise and most sad 
disappointment, they ascertained that " it was no exchange after 
all;" it was only a hurried remove upon the sudden anticipated 
approach of Sherman's army. And again they felt "that hope 
deferred maketh the heart sick," and sorrow and sadness again 
filled their hearts. Such is life — full of ups and downs; and 
the downs are often greater than the ups! Here the fare was 
hard, but far superior to Andersonville ; here they were visited 
by two sisters of charity, who did much to relieve the sufferings 
of both Catholics and Protestants. Having put in a few weeks 
at Charleston, they were taken to Florence early in October. 
Here the suffering and barbarous cruelties were about equal to 
Andersonville. The hospital here was literally awful. To see 
brave soldiers, the heroes of a hundred battles, lying nigh unto 
death, with no beds and no coverings, and turning idiots from 
suffering and starvation, and dying at the rate of twenty-five a 
day out of seven hundred, or about four percentage, was horrible 
in the extreme. But at last the day of deliverance came, and 
thev were let go free. 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 169 



CHAPTER XIII. 

ANDERSONVILLE CEMETERY. 

Contains Fifty Acres — Thirteen Thousand and Seven Hundred 
AND Five Graves — Who are the Dead? — What did They Suf- 
fer ? — How did They Die ? — As They Lived and Fought — 
The First Prisoners Buried There — The Last One — The 
Stars and Stripes Wave Over Them — Captain Wirz — His 
Birth — Entering the Eebel Army — Promoted for His Cru- 
elty TO the Prisoners — Proven Guilty of Conspiracy against 
the United States — " I will Give You Bullets for Bread " — 
He Shot a Prisoner — "Oh, Do let Me Down ! " — His Last Days 

— Found Guilty — Received Sentence to be Hung very coolly 

— Attended by the Priest — No Signs of Sorrow — His Execu- 
tion — Hurries to the Gallows — The Closing Scene. 

XjS" a well -selected spot, half a mile north of the prison stock- 
ade, lie the heroic martyrs of Andersonville. Containing some 
fifty acres of level land in an elevated old field, surrounded with 
dense forests of pine, and lying close to the South-western Rail- 
road, it is a beautiful situation. Inclosed with a white-washed 
picket fence, and laid oif in four sections, with streets crossing in 
the centre, it presents quite a neat appearance. Entering at the 
south gate, and passing up the main street, there are three sec- 
tions of graves on your right, of about three-quarters of an acre 
each, divided by two alleys ; and on your left are two more of 
equal size. The dead all lie facing to the east. At the head of 
every grave is a plain head-board, ten inches wide, two and a 
half feet high, painted white, with the prisoner's name, company, 
regiment, and date of death, lettered on it in black. The dead 
lie very close together in trenches and in rows, each body occu- 
pying only fourteen inches, with only four inches between the 
head-boards. The graves are finished in a common level, and 
are neatly grassed over. 

Who are the dead f whence came they? From almost every 



170 CHRISTIANITY IX THE AVAE. 

State in the Union ; but chiefly from the North. There they lie, 
from the green mountains of Vermont to the goklen shores of 
California and Oregon. There lie the uncoffined bones of the 
dear husband of many a crushed, heart-broken widow, and the 
precious dust of many patriotic sons, whose weeping mothers 
refuse to be comforted, because they are not. There lie thousands 
of brave veterans, who, at the tap of the drum, voluntarily rushed 
to the defence of the old flag, at the beginning of the rebellion. 
The heroes of one hundred battles, they were a part of the very 
bone and sinew of the army ; not bounty-Jumpers, but noble, 
heroic, patriotic men, who fought, suffered, and died ; not for 
mere pay, but from principle, for the glory, defence, and salvation 
of the country ; not stragglers, but soldiers thirsting for victory, 
rushed into the thickest of the battle, and unfortunately were 
captured, and dragged into the slaughter-house at Andersonville. 

What did they suffer f Tongue cannot tell ; heart cannot con- 
ceive, and language cannot describe it. The severity of their 
sufferings beggars all description ; they not only suffered cruelty, 
hunger, thirst, starvation, robbery, torture, death, but atrocious 
contumely, dire reproach, and fell revenge from rebel tyrants. It 
was proven in Capt. Wirz's trial, that some ten thousand died 
from torture, neglect, cruelty, hunger, and want maliciously in- 
flicted ; " that numbers died from the dead being left too long in 
the prison ; that numbers died from wearing the ball and chain ; 
that many died from being tied up by the thumbs, and from tor- 
ture in ' the stocks -, ' that a number M^ere shot and killed upon 
the dead-line ; that a large number died from the bite of ferocious 
dogs or bloodhounds, and from poisonous vaccination ordered by 
Capt. Wirz; "and," says Col. Chipman, Judge Advocate, in his 
closing remarks on the trial, "Capt. Wirz murdered eighteen, and 
one died from his jumping upon, stamping, and kicking him." 

How did they die f Having no regular spiritual adviser gener- 
ally, but little is known of their prospects, or preparation for 
the future. A number " made perfect through suffering " gave 
bright evidence of repentance ; for whom to die was gain. And 
from the patient suffering, calm submission, and humble resigna- 
tion, and true patriotism they exhibited, doubtless many huu- 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 171 

dreds of them died happily, and have gone beyond the reach of 
rebel tyrants, " where the wicked cease to trouble, and the weary 
are forever at rest." The first prisoner buried there was J. S. 
Warner, Co. H, 2d N. Y. Cavalry, died Feb. 27, 1864. The 
last death was E. Hanson, Co. F, 1st Wis., died April 28, 1865. 
The exact number buried there is 13,065, including one hundred 
and fifteen rebels from the garrison, and sixty-five who died from 
small-pox. There they lie, waiting the sound of the last trump 
summoning them to judgment, when all will be rewarded strictly 
according to their works. 

In the centre of this vast depository of the patriotic dead is to 
be erected a suitable monument to the memory of these heroic 
martyrs. Let it rise. They most rioJiIy deserve it. Let it rise, 
that it may tell to future generations the patriotic heroism, the 
ardent devotion, patient endurance, and unyielding perseverance 
of those thirteen thousand heroic martyrs. 

Again we say let it rise, and engrave upon it the opprobri- 
ous name, " Andersonville," that it may tell to future ages 
the extreme suffering, the despotic tyranny, the gross indignity, 
the fierce cruelty, the severe punishment, hunger, want, and 
starvation endured by the immortal heroes lying beneath it. 
Let it rise of material lasting as time, so that if our American 
patriotism should ever grow cold, and we become unmindful 
of the rich boon of civil and religious liberty established by 
the blood of our fathers, and redeemed by the blood of half a 
million of their sons, we may go and stand around the graves 
of these departed heroes; that we may think of the horrible 
sufferings they endured, and of the awful deaths they died, 
that we and our country might live ; that the world may know 
that man is capable of self-government, and that all men are 
created free and equal. In the centre of this large depository of 
the lamented dead stands a flagstaff, one hundred and twenty feet 
high, from which the stars and stripes float every day. Cared for 
by a superintendent appointed by the Government, Avho keeps two 
hands employed in dressing it, the cemetery is kept in good order. 
A few marble stones have been placed at a few of the graves by 



172 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

friends. The main entrance is at the south ; and on the east side 
of the gate is printed in large capital letters : 

NATIONAL CEMETERY, 
ANDERSONVILLE. 

Opposite these words are inscribed the following touching lines : 

♦'On Fame's eternal camping-ground 
Their silent tents are spread ; 
And Glory guards with solemn round 
The bivouac of the dead." 

A little farther down stand the following graphic words : 

"The hopes, the fears, the blood, the tears, 
That marked the bitter strife, 
Are now all covered by victory 
That saved the nation's life. 

•'A thousand battle-fields have drunk 
The blood of warriors brave : 
And countless homes are dark and drear 
Through the land they died to save." 

In one corner, by themselves, lie six more buried, marked 
below their names — " Hung, July 12, 1864." 



CAPTAIN WIRZ. 

f And now, in closing those wonderful scenes from Anderson- 
ville, the reader will no doubt feel anxious to hear a little more 
about the perpetrator of those awful crimes and the inflicter of 
such severe punishments. 

Capt. Henry Wirz was born of respectable parents, in Zurich, 
Switzerland, Nov. 1823. In early life he manifested a strong 
desire to study medicine, but, his father objecting, he was placed 
in a commercial house in his native town. Desiring to try his 
luck in a new country, he came to the United States in 1849, 
landing at New York, where he again resumed the study of 
medicine. During the first stages of secession, Wirz obtained 
some notoriety by his severe denunciations of the Federal Govern- 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 173 

ment, and declaring his warm attachment to the South. But 
failing to get a commission as surgeon in the rebel army, he 
enlisted as a private soldier under the flag of treason. But 
having served a short time in that capacity, and being of a cruel 
disposition, and possessing the requisite qualifications to execute 
the atrocious designs of rebel leaders upon our prisoners, he was, 
early in the war, put in charge of Libby Prison. Here the 
sergeant-major soon so distinguished himself for cruelty and bar- 
barity to the unfortunate captives, that he was promoted to the 
rank of second lieutenant. In the spring of 1862, he was sent 
to the front, while Gen. McClellan was bringing to bear his 
battering-rams upon the strongholds of Richmond, and receiving 
a wound in the arm, by the stroke of a fragment of a shell at 
the battle of Fair Oaks, he obtained a furlough to visit his native 
home in Europe. After having spent over a year on his furlough, 
he voluntarily returned to the United States in the spring of 
1864. Shortly after his return, he was ordered to assist Gen. 
G. H. Winder in carrying out his cruel atrocities perpe- 
trated upon our unfortunate men incarcerated in Andersonville. 
Here he was again promoted, and honored with the rank of 
captain. Having full sway, and giving loose rein to his 
cruel, bloodthirsty disposition, he went on in his barbarous 
work until he was proven guilty of confederating, combining, 
and conspiring with Jefferson Davis, Howell Cobb, and others, 
in leagued rebellion against the United States; and that he did 
maliciously and traitorously, contrary to the laws of war, so 
cruelly neglect and treat some ten thousand Union prisoners 
under his care in Andersonville, that they died from hunger, 
torture, cruelty, and want. What a long black catalogue of 
crimes ! How deeply seared must have been the conscience, and 
how awfully hard must have been the heart, of the atrocious 
perpetrator ! Before such monstrous iniquity, the sensitive heart 
recoils and humanity shudders. Such heights and depths of 
deep, double-distilled wickedness are seldom, if ever, equalled. 
On a certain occasion, when a poor starved soldier asked Capt. 
Wirz for a little more bread, the hard-hearted tyrant contemptu- 
ously replied, " 1 will give you bullets for bread.'' On another 



174 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

occasion a frail, prostrated sufferer mildly asked permissiou of 
the unmerciful captain to go out to get fresh air, when Wirz in- 
dignantly replied, "^What do you mean? " drew out his revolver 
from his pocket, and shot him down. He died in two or three 
hours after, watering the tree of liberty with his patriotic blood. 

The prison punishments were all most cruelly severe. The 
idea of mercy or kindness seemed never to have entered the 
hearts of those unrelenting tormentors. For a prisoner to at- 
tempt to escape was almost always certain death. The fact is, 
the institution was got up, and kept up, to weary, abuse, starve, 
and destroy Union prisoners. Capt. W. S. Winder said, when 
he was laying out the stockade, '^ I am going to build a pen here 
that will kill more Yankees than can be destroyed at the front.'' 
And Capt. Wirz said to the Union men who were burying the 
dead, " This is the way I give the Yankees the land they come 
to fight for." What deep-seated malevolence and murderous 
revenge underlies such devilish expressions ! Wirz often told 
the prisoners " that he intended to destroy them." 

"On passing by the guard-house, one day," says Major Kellog, 
" I heard a most pitiable, distressing outcry ; and upon looking 
around, I saw a prisoner, who for attempting to escape had been 
brought back and strung up by the thumbs to the beam of the 
guard-house, paying the unrighteous penalty of honorably attempt- 
ing to flee from impending starvation and death. And there, 
swinging in the air, with his body roasted with pain and a soul 
writhing in anguish, in the most compassionate, pitiable manner, 
he begged with his cruel tormentors for mercy. Hanging there 
with the ruthless cords tightening around his swollen thumbs, 
he exclaimed, in the most heart-rending manner, 'Oh, for 
God's sake, have mercy on me; oh, do let me down. Oh, 
mercy, mercy, mercy ! ' But, alas ! he begged without mercy." 
There he hung. Oh, how awful ! Humanity shudders at the 
horrible cruelty. A wicked world gaze and look on with 
astonishment, and in summing up this double-distilled cruelty, 
atrocious torture, fell revenge, and fiendish murder, it would 
seem that God had withdrawn all restraining grace, and that 
Satan had jjoured forth his bitterest vials of wrath to fire the 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 175 

malicious heart of Wirz to perpetrate those most damnable 
deeds, that the world might see how low and deep the depraved 
heart is capable of sinking in iniquity. And yet, doubtless, as 
this monster of iniquity was only a tool in the hands of higher 
officers, his crimes must be small when compared with theirs. 

THE LAST DAYS OF WIRZ. 

After the fall of Richmond and the surrender of Johnston to 
Sherman, when bloody treason was lying Ionv in the dust, and 
the shouts of victory gushing from every loyal heart throughout 
the land, Wirz endeavored to flee the country ; but was arrested, 
and brought back to Washington, and confined in prison to await 
his trial for his numberless deeds of cruelty and murder. 

After the assassins of Abraham Lincoln were executed, charges 
and specifications were brought against this monster of iniquity, 
and a military court was convened, and the guilty tyrant was 
made to look at himself in the eyes of the law and justice. He 
took a deep interest in the trial, and closely watched every move- 
ment and every word of testimony brought against him. The 
trial, though long and tedious, was at length closed ; the plead- 
ings heard, the testimony canvassed, and the sentence, " guilty," 
brought in; and on the sixth of November, 1865, he was in- 
formed by Gen. Winder that he was sentenced to be hung on 
Friday the tenth. Wirz received his sentence with remarkable 
coolness and with great unconcern, remarking only, " Well, I 
suppose it must be done ; " and with a stern indifference he went 
immediately to the door of his cell, and announced the fact to 
Gen. Briscoe, who was occupying the opjiosite side of the cell, in 
the following words : " General, I am to be hung on Friday ! " 
And as Gen. Augur was retiring from the cell, he said, " After 
I am dead and gone, I will come back and hau:nt you all." 

Being a Roman Catholic, a priest was sent for to administer to 
his spiritual wants, and warn and entreat him to prepare for 
death. And, notwithstanding his enormous sins, his historian 
says he gave no marks of sorrow or contrition for his iniquitous 
crimes. Scoffing at the Federal Government to the last, on the 



176 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 

night before his execution he said " the American Eagle was a 
turkey buzzard." Undisturbed about his approaching end, he 
slept soundly the last night of his life, until he was aroused at 
three o'clock by his spiritual comforters, to pray with and for 
him, and beseech him to prepare for the solemn scene. He lis- 
tened to their prayers, but, insisting on his innocence, manifested 
no signs of forgiveness. 

Touching his personal appearance, wearing a dark complexion, 
AVirz was a man of about live feet ten inches high, " of a thin, 
spare figure," with black hair, beard and mustache mixed with 
gray. Dressed in black, with an old silk hat, he presented, during 
the trial, a rather shabby, genteel appearance. 

THE EXECUTION. 

At length the day of execution dawns. On the morning of 
the tenth of November, with the preparations at the gallows all 
completed, fifteen minutes before ten the doomed man was led 
out of his cell, supported by Fathers Doyle and Wiget. And 
although he manifested no regret for his crimes nor sorrow for 
his sins, yet, realizing the stern laws of retribution beginning to 
play upon him, he now begins to feel that the way of the trans- 
gressor is hard. And wrapped in a black robe, carrying his right 
arm in a sling, with hands and feet unmanacled, with a light, 
careless step he made haste to the gallows and ran up the steps, 
and sat down upon a chair, sitting upon the deadly drop, over 
which hung the fatal noose dangling in the air, ready to crush 
the forfeited life lino;ering in "the demon of Andersonville." 
Guarded by a battalion of soldiers, formed into a hollow 
square, there he sits, hanging upon the verge of the eternal 
world, just running his last sands. With death standing out 
before him, and the grave yawning to receive him, there he sits, 
wrapped in the hardness of his own insensibility. Major Russell, 
taking his station directly opposite the gallows, read aloud the 
charge, sjiecifications, and the sentence. Wirz listened atten- 
tively, but shook his head with an occasional smile, witliout a 
ray of sorrow or remorse flashing from his stern brow. At the 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 177 

close of the reading, he was asked if he had anything to say. He 
replied, " No ; I have nothing to say to the public." After a 
silent whisper and parting exhortation of the priest, the black 
cap being drawn over his face, he was requested to stand up, and 
the rope was adjusted around his neck, and his hands and feet 
bound with cords. And now the fatal hour draws nigh. At 
twenty minutes past ten, the commanding officer gave the signal, 
and Capt. Henry Wirz hangs suspended between heaven and 
earth. The roofs of the surrounding houses were crowded with 
spectators, anxiously gazing upon the solemn scene; and, at the 
fall of the fatal drop, a loud yell rose from the crowd without. 
After a few convulsive jerks, the soul of Wirz winged its flight 
to the eternal world, and the tragic scene closed. At seven o'clock 
his body was taken down, examined by the attending physician, 
and officially pronounced dead. The corpse was placed in a 
coffin, and delivered into the hands of Father Boyle, and the 
excited crowd dispersed. 
12 



178 CHRISTIAXITY IX THE AVAR. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

SKETCHES OF SOLDIEES. 

"My Heart is so Hard, I Can't Pray" — Converted on the 
Field of Battle — "I Went to Church Cursing, and Came 
AWAY Praying " — "I Can't get Religion " — "I Can't help 
but Pray" — A Hero of Andersonville Saved by His Wife 
— A Boat -Load of Andersonville Prisoners — "Converted 
on Picket by Two Men Talking to Me" — "I am Resolved 
TO Quit Swearing" — Died Calling for the Chaplain to 
Pray for Him — "I am Ready to Die" — "Tell Them I am 
Happy" — "Converted through a Sister's Letters" — "If I 
go to Hell, I will go Praying " — " Prayer is a Great Priv- 
ilege " — " Oh, that I had Ventured Before ! " — "I am 
Guilty of Everything but Theft and Murder " — "I Expect 
to get Religion when I get Home " — Bleeding to Death, 
YET "Resting on Christ"— "Praying for Sport" — "I Gave 
My Heart to Jesus " — " Christ is Everything to Me " — 
"My Sins are Great and Heavy" — "Satan is Often at My 
Heels " — James Ward, 81st N.Y., Co. I — A Soldier's Creed — 
"I See so much Bad Christianity, I am Discouraged" — 
" Jesus is Still Precious " — "I Still Hold on to God " — "I 
Pray much in Battle " — A Soldier with Seven Wounds — 
" I CAN Afford to Suffer " — A Happy, Shouting Soldier — 
"I would Like to be a Christian, If I could Keep It" — 
"I Can't Live without Prayer"— "The Lord is Mine" — "I 
Can't Pray" — "I Found Jesus" — "I Leave it all with the 
Lord" — A Swearer Brought to Tears. 

" MY HEART IS SO HARD, I CAN'T PRAY." 

JOSEPH P. NICHOLS, 39tli 111. Vol., Co. K, was severely 
wounded in one of the last battles near Petersburg, Va., and 
was soon after brought to Hampton Hospital. His wound soon 
became gangrened, and he was taken to the Gangrene Camp. 
At first we found him a profane, prayerless sinner, and yet honest 
and frank to confess it. Said he " had been a Methodist, but had 
wofully backslid." He said, " I have been a great swearer. I 

/ 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 179 

have sworn to such an extent that I am ashamed of it." " We 
are very glad to hear you confess your sins, and your shame for 
swearing. And are you sorry for it now, Josepli ? " " Yes, I 
feel sorry ; but not as I ought to." I preached to him ; pointed 
him to Christ ; told him of his love and compassion ; that he 
waits to be gracious ; that he is " able and willing to save, even 
to the uttermost;" and urged him to repent, and come to him. 
He became very anxious ; and as I urged him to pray and to turn 
his oaths into prayers, he said, with deep emotion and tears, 
" My heart is so hard, I can't pray." I told him to " tell the 
Lord so ; " to go to God with his hard heart, and he would 
soften and change it. He now seemed to feel deeply the great- 
ness of his sins ; and as I urged him to pray, and throw himself 
right into the arms of Jesus, he cried, with eyes filled with tears, 
" God be merciful to me a sinner ! " " Lord, save, or I perish ! " 
Thus, with his soul stirred, pleading and begging for mercy, we left 
him, and made special prayers for him that night at the public 
service, and ere the sun set on the nineteenth of May, 1865, he 
closed his eyes in death. Gone, we trust, to reap his reward ia 
heaven. Let backsliders be warned, and take care. " Return 
unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord." 

CONVERTED ON THE FIELD OF BATTLE. 

" Good-morning, Henry ! how do you do to-day ? " " I am 
somewhat better to-day, I thank you, chaplain." " Very glad to see 
you so Avell. How are you spw'tYwa%.^" "Well, I have been 
a very great sinner ; but I believe, now, God has converted my 
soul and forgiven my sins." "Where do you think you were 
converted ? " " In the battle of Hatcher's Run. There, amidst 
the shock of battle, I saw so many falling around me, and think- 
ing how soon it might be my turn, and what an awful thing it 
would be to die for my country, and lose my own soul ; there, 
with balls and bullets whistling close by me, and shells bursting 
around me, together with the groans of the wounded and dying, 
I cried to God for mercy ; and there, I believe, he changed my 
heart." " Did you feel afraid in battle ? " " No, not much ; we 



180 CHEISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

never expect to get hit. I felt anxious about my soul ; my sins 
rose up before me, and seemed to be very great. The battle 
raged. ' On we went, giving it to the rebels hot and heavy ; ' but 
I kept on praying, ' Lord, have mercy, and save me ! ' We 
drove the rebels, and gained a glorious victory." " But I sup- 
pose your greatest victory was a victory over Satan." " I 'spose 
it was." " Satan has a very strong fort in every sinner's heart, 
and to storm and take that fort requires nothing less than the 
omnipotent power of God. And you still think you were con- 
verted, then, during that battle?" "Yes, I believe I was." 
" Do you now feel like holding fast, and going on in the Lord's 
service ? " " Yes, I do ; by the grace of God I will try, and be 
faithful till death." " Do you pray often now, Henry? " " Yes, 
I pray two or three times a day." " When did you begin to 
pray ? " " While we were at Petersburg." " May God bless 
you, Henry. Cling to the cross ; trust in the Lord ; and all will 
be well ! " It was Henry McElvain, 118th U. S., Co. A. 

" I WENT TO CHURCH CURSING, AND CAME AWAY PRAYING. " 

Upon canvassing the heart of Hexry Ferguson, 39th 111., 
Co. E, we soon saw that he bore marks of the new creature. 
The pleasing smile upon his countenance bore evidence that the 
image of God had been enstaraped upon his heart. And upon 
further inquiry, he said, " I have a hope that I would not ex- 
change for the world." "Do you think you are a converted 
man?" "Yes, I believe that I am." "When do you think 
you were converted?" " About fifteen months ago." " Where?" 
" In church. I loent to church cursing, and came away praying. 
While there, I was deeply convicted and smitten down. My 
sins rose like mountains before me, and I felt very unhappy and 
awful. I thought I saw the devil, that he was all black and 
dreadful. The encouraging promise, ' Resist the devil, and he 
will flee from you,' rushed to my mind ; and all of a sudden 
light dawned upon my mind, and I began to pray to God for 
mercy ; and all at once a feeling of joy came over me, and I felt 
glory in my soul." " How have you lived since ? " "I still 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE ^yAR. 181 

trust in the Lord and try to be faithful, and I feel happy ever 
since. I have no fear of death." " How does the Saviour ap- 
pear to you ? " " Dear and precious ; he has done great things 
for me." " Do you still pray daily ? " " Yes ; I read my Testa- 
ment, and pray two or three times every day." " Do you ever 
feel like swearing now ? " " Xo ; swearing never comes into my 
mind now." " Be faithful. War a good warfare. Watch and 
pray, and may God abundantly bless you." From the example 
of Henry, let the wicked and profane be encouraged to go to 
church. Men often receive a blessing when they don't expect it. 
A man once went to hear John Wesley preach, with a stone in 
his pocket to break his head, but his sermon broke his heart, and 
resulted in his conversion. 

k "I CAN'T GET RELIGION." 

As I approached Henry W. Chase, 96th N. Y., Co. H, he 
wept profusely, and exhibited distress and deep anxiety of mind. 
I said to him, "Do you want anything?" "No. I can't get 
religion." "Would you like to have it?" "Yes," he said. 
" Oh, yes," trembling, and Aveeping with deepest emotions. " I 
am glad to see you so anxious. Salvation is free — free as the 
air you breathe. Jesus says, ' If any man thirst, let him come 
unto me, and drink. Ho every one that thirsteth, come; and 
Avhosoever wiU, let him come and take of the Avaters of life freely.' 
AVhat hinders you from getting religion ? " " Pride, and iiiy 
hard heart," he said, weeping most bitterly. Oh, how I felt 
and prayed for him. Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on 
him, "Do you feel sorry for your sins?" "Yes; but I fear 
God has not forgiven them." " Do your sins seem to be great?" 
" Yes, very great.'' " The blood of Christ cleanseth from all sin. 
Look and live. Only believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou 
shalt be saved. Just come to Christ noio. Throw yourself right 
into his arms, and he will save you. Come just as you are. Don't 
wait to get better. Tliere is no work to be done ; no preparation 
to be made to go to Jesus. No, all things are now ready ; come 
and be saved." I preached occasionally to him and his ward, 



182 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 

and warned them to flee the wrath to come, fly to Jesus, and 
(;ling to the cross. He grew worse, and the ward-master gave 
him up to die. How interesting the scene. Gatlier round and 
gaze upon the brave, lovely boy as he lies upon his bed, with one 
leg off above the knee ; with a fine countenance and a pale face, 
there he lies, bathed in tears, weeping for his sins, and pleading 
for salvation. Calling on him a few days after, he said, weeping, 
" I have not found the Saviour yet." " Oh, Henry, are you 
willing to die for your country, and die and be lost ? Only think 
of the love of Christ. View him in Bethlehem. View him 
in Gethsemane, agonizing for our salvation. View him on 
Calvary, groaning, bleeding, dying, that we, that you, might have 
eternal life. ' And will you, CAN you refuse such a Saviour ? 
Having sealed your heroic devotion to your country with your 
blood, now only look to Jesus, and he will seal the salvation of 
your soul with his blood. Step right out upon the promises of 
God, and grasp Christ by the hand of faith, and salvation is 
yours. Look away from your wound ; look only to Christ, and 
he will break and melt your hard heart, and give you a new one. 
Jesus cries to you in tones of love and mercy. ' My son, my son, 
give me thy heart.' Remember, my dear friend, you must sur- 
render or be lost ; you must repent or perish ; turn or die. Jesus 
cries, * How often would I have gathered you, and will you not 
come?' May God help and bless you." He suffered long, and 
bore it all very patiently. Xot a murmur fell from his lips. At 
my next call his wound was better, and he was indulging a hope, 
and said, " Prospects are brighter." " Do you still pray, Henry?" 
" Yes, I pray very often." At our next call we found him still 
more encouraged, and he said, " I think now I have found the 
Saviour, and God has forgiven my sins. Christ seems precious 
now. My sins before seemed heavy, now they seem light." He 
wept. I wrote to his father: he came. Henry got well, and 
went home. 

"I CAN'T HELP BUT PRAY." "I GO FORWAPvD." 

On canvassing the heart of Joseph Smith, 38th U.S., Co. I, 
we soon found him evidently a devoted Christian, and seemed to 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 183 

be filled with the Spirit. " I suppose yon think and meditate much 
about the Saviour?" "Yes, I think on God all the time." "Do 
you pray much ? " " Yes, I prays very much : I can't help it." 
" Can't you help it ? " " No ; " pointing to his breast, he said^ 
" there is something within me that draws me to the throne of 
grace." " What is it ? " "I suppose it is the Spirit of God that 
prompts me to it, or the love of Christ drawing me." " Do you 
love Jesus ? " " Yes, I loves him ; and he is very dear and 
precious to me." " Do you find it difficult to live out religion 
in the army ? " " No ; God is the same in the army as he is at 
home." "You don't backslide, then?" "No; I go forward, 
and still keep trying to do my duty to God and my country, and 
God helps and blesses me." " Be faithful, Joseph ; live near to 
God, and cling to the cross." Reader, if you would reach tlijit 
high Christian attainment, where you "can't help but pray," 
"think on God all the time ! " To the devoted Christian, prayer 
is no task. No ; filled with the Holy Ghost, and constrained 
by the love of Christ, " he can't help but pray ! " 

A HERO OF ANDERSONVILLE SAVED BY HIS WIFE. 

Philip Hartel, 51st Pa. Vol., Co. I, an exchanged prisoner 
from Andersonville, was brouglit here from Wilmington, N. C, 
April 2, 1865. When he came in, he was completely run down 
with chronic diarrhoea and starvation to a mere skeleton. He 
looked like death, and for a long time we despaired of his life ; 
but with kind treatment he got along. W^e preached to him and 
his ward of prisoners, and tried to comfort them with the con- 
solations of the gospel, and besought them, by the mercies of 
God, to trust in Christ and cling to the cross. He belonged to 
the Lutheran Church, and seemed to be an humble, meek, good 
Christian soldier, looking to God for help and strength. Per- 
fectly resigned, not a complaint or murmur fell from his lips. 
He said, " I hope and trust, if God willing, to get home and see 
my wife and child (eight years old)." He gained a little, and in 
a few days his good wife came and tenderly and most faithfully 
nursed him; and, after a good while, he got well enough to go 



184 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

home. But it seemed like life from the dead. I believe his 
faithful wife, under God, saved his life. 

A BOAT-LOAD OF ANDERSONVILLE PRISONERS. 

One hundred and sixty were brought in April 2, 1865, from 
Wilmington, N. C. They had been at Florence and Ander- 
sonville, and many of them were reduced to mere skeletons from 
disease and starvation. Although they had spent a few days at 
Wilmington, and recruited up considerably, yet some of them 
seemed to look more like dead men than living ones — with hair 
dishevelled, ghastly eyes, faces pale, and nothing but skin and 
bones, they looked like living corpses. A great many died at 
Wilmington. Many of them died here in the wards after linger- 
ing a few days. 

"CONVERTED ON PICKET BY TWO MEN TALKING TO ME." 

Upon conversing with Theodore Bradly, 7th Conn., Co. H, 
we soon found him indulging a good hope. After a short con- 
versation about religion, and the trials and temptations of array 
life, I asked him if he was an old soldier of the cross. " No," 
he said. " I was converted by two men talking to me one night 
on picket at Bermuda Hundred." " What did they talk to you 
about ? " " About Jesus Christ and the way of salvation, and the 
awful danger of living in the army without I'eligion." " Did they 
urge you to repentance, and beseech you to come to the Saviour? " 
"Yes; they talked to me in an earnest, humble, simple manner, 
and urged me to become a Christian." " How had you lived 
before that time? " " Careless and indifferent : I went to church 
at home, but felt no particular interest in religion." " Have you 
ever read the Bible much ? " " Yes, considerable : I went to 
Sunday-school at home." " Do you feel sorry for your sins, 
now ? " " Yes." " How do your sins appear to you ? " " They 
appear great; but I believe God has forgiven them." "And you 
still believe you were converted there that night on picket?" 
"Yes, I believe I was. I still trust in Christ, and I pray 
daily. Yes, there, standing between two mighty armies, exposed 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 185 

to death from tlie rebel sharpshooter, I believe God changed my 
heart and washed my soul. Now, if I know my own heart, I 
feel prepared to go whenever God calls." " God is everywhere, 
and can as easily convert a sinner on picket as in the church. 
Oh, how important to talk about' religion, and thus hold up the 
cross to a dying world ! ' Plear, O Israel ; the Lord our God is 
one Lord ; and these wor.ds shall be in thy heart ; and thou shalt 
talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, when thou walkest 
by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.' 
(Deut. vi. 4, 6, 7.) ' Talk ye of all his wondrous works.' (Psalm 
cv. 2.) How lamentable that we talk so little about religion ! 
How very common in the social circle, to hear Christians talk all 
over the world, and talk all around the cross, and never utter a 
word for Jesus. Of old, it was written, 'They that feared the 
Lord, spake often to one another.' " 

"I AM RESOLVED TO QUIT SWEARING." 

George H. Track, 6th Conn,, Co. K, was severely wounded 
at the fall of Fort Fisher, where our men did such brave fight- 
ing. Upon my grasping him by the hand, and trying to lead 
him to the cross, he wept most profusely, and seemed to feel his 
sins very deeply, and appeared to be very penitent, hopeful, and 
anxious. " Do you pray ?" " Yes ; and I have resolved to quit 
swearing." " May God bless you richly. Think you can quit 
it?" "Yes, I think I can." "I know you can, if you will. 
Have you sworn any since you resolved to quit it ? " " No, not 
an oath." To see the big tears rushing to his eyes and rolling 
down his cheeks encouraged us to talk and pray witli him. After 
singing a beautiful hymn, and commending him to the God of 
all comfort, we bade him good-by, and left him. Reader, if you 
swear, resolve to quit it, and you can. Remember the words of 
Him who says, " Swear not at all." 

DIED CALLING FOR THE CIIArLAIN TO TRAY FOR HIM. 

Upon our first interview Avith John S. Burket, 13th Ind. 
Cavalry, we found him inquiring " what to do to be saved." I 



186 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

replied, "'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be 
saved.' Salvation is free; and it is ready. Only believe, and you 
will enjoy it. Faith implies -two things : forsaking all else, and 
receiving and relying upon Christ alone for salvation. It is 
taking God at his word, and acting as though you believed what 
he says." He gave signs of penitence ; said he " trusted in 
Christ, and was not afraid to die." " If you only have faith, 
you need have no fear of death. To die is gain, if you die in 
faith." Toward the last he became very anxious, and died 
praying to God for mercy, and calling upon the chaplain to pray 
for him. He indited a letter to his wife shortly before he ex- 
pired. Many careless, with the hope of long life, grow anxious 
al)out salvation at the approach of death, when it is too late. 
Delays are dangerous. Oh, then, reader, be warned, and " ^rre- 
pare now to meet thy God ! " 

"I AM READY TO DIE," 

Said John Weekly, 4th U. S., Co. I, after a few minutes 
conversation with him about his spiritual condition. He seemed 
to be very tender, penitent, humble, and resigned, " Are you 
not afraid to die ? " " No ; I trust in Jesus, and I don't fear 
death." "Do you love the Saviour?" " Yes; I love him, and 
he is very good to me." " Perfect love casteth out fear. It is a 
great blessing," I said. " Oh, yes," he replied, and began to 
pray, "Jesus, have mercy on me. Save me, Lord, for Jesus' 
sake." Continuing in prayer, he cried more earnestly, " Save, 
save me, save me, JesusJ^ How direct, simple, comj)rehen- 
sive and earnest his prayer. Standing upon the verge of the 
eternal world, like sinking Peter, he goes directly to Jesus, pleads 
for salvation, and most earnestly cries, " Save me. Lord." He 
seemed to live right beneath the throne of God. And with a 
heart all alive with the love of Christ, it was no wonder, he had 
no fear of death. It is readiness to depart that banishes fear. 
If prei^ared, " to die is gain," and to depart is far better. " Be 
ye also ready." Reading and praying with him, and commending 
him to the God of all grace, we bade him farewell, and left him. 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 187 

"TELL THEM I AM HAPrY." 

"When I first visited Mahlon Spanogle, 205tli Pa., Co. A, 
he was careless and prayerless, yet a reguljir attendant at church 
at liome. Beseeching him to be reconciled to God, we left him. 
His severe wound grew worse, became badly gangrened, and, 
consequently, he was taken to the gangrene camp. At our next 
interview, we found him still careless and unconcerned; and" we 
noted him down in our book, "indiiferent, and don't pray," and 
he said, " he swore when excited." After pointing him to the 
cross, we bade him good-by, and went on to the next poor suf- 
ferer. I preached to and prayed with him often, explaining the 
way of salvation, and besought him to repent and fly to Christ; 
and after a while he became interested in religion. I often read 
the Bible to him, lying on his very sore back, and explained to 
him the penalties of the law and the precious promises of the 
gospel. By-and-by he became attentive and tender, and gave 
some signs of repentance. By the examples in the Bible and 
by the promises of God, I urged him to pray earnestly, to think 
of the love of Christ, and of the mercy of God in sparing him 
through so many narrow escapes, and what an awful thing it 
w'ould be to die for his country, and lose his own soul ; and tears 
trickled down his pale cheeks. The Spirit of God moved upon 
him, and he said he was sorry for his sins, and seemed deeply 
penitent. He failed gradually; his mortal frame gave way; and 
shortly before he expired, when he saw he was going, he threw 
his arms around the nurse, embraced and hugged him very affec- 
tionately, and said, " I am dying ; Lord, help me ! Tell them I 
am happy. The gates are open, and I am going home." The 
wheel at the cistern stood still, and his disembodied spirit went, 
we trust, where there will be no more sorrow, pain, and death. 
His bereaved wife arrived half an hour ere his departure, antl 
])rough*t some good things for him to eat ; but it was too late. 
His understanding had failed, and he could not recognize her. 
What a severe trial ! Y-et his dying message, " Tell them I am 
happy," Avas calculated to afford her strong consolation. May 
God abundantly bless and comfort the soldiers' widow, mother, 



188 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

orphan. He died Feb. 28, 1865. Eeader, when trials, hard- 
ships, and suffering surround you, go to the gangrene camp, and 
think what was there endured for our imperilled country. 

"CONVERTED THROUGH A SISTER'S LETTERS." 

Canvassing the heart of Charles E. Smith, 148tli N. Y., 
Co, K, we soon saw that he bore marks of regeneration ; and, 
after a little further conversation upon the subject, he said, " I 
was converted in the army through a sister's letters. They turned 
me," he said. " You mean they were the means of your con- 
version ? " " Yes ; for God only can change the heart." " You 
seem to have clear views of the plan of salvation : what is con- 
version ? " " It is a change of heart." He appeared very peni- 
tent, humble, and prayerful. " Do you still feel like going on in 
the Lord's service ? " " Yes ; I read my Testament, and pray 
two or three times a day." " Do you find it difficult, surrounded 
with the temptations of the army, to live out religion ? " " No; 
if we only strive to be fiithful, God will help and sustain us." 
" Yes ; he says, ' My grace is sufficient for thee.' How does the 
Saviour appear to you now?" " He appears dear and precious." 
" Peter says, ' To you, therefore, which believe, he is precious.' 
He is precious in his names, offices, and promises. I suppose 
your sister wrote you very religious, kind, and affectionate letters, 
urging and beseeching you to repent, and give your heart to 
God ?" "Yes ; she seemed to feel deeply, and to pray very earnestly 
for me." Let sisters and friends at home be encouraged to write 
and pray very often for their friends abroad. Persons at home 
cannot at all conceive what great encouragement and consolation 
a good letter affords to one long from home. 

"IF I GO TO HELL, I WILL GO PRAYING." 

At our first interview with William S. Bullock, 89th N.Y., 
Co. B, we found him very much concerned about his salvation. 
He said, " Chaplain, I want to get religion. I thought I had it 
once, but guess I was mistaken. I have been trying to pray, but 
it seems rather hard work. Blinded as we are by sin, about 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 189 

our spiritual condition, we are liable to be deceived. Hence Paul 
says, ' Let a man examine himself, and prove his own works.' I 
have prayed frequently in the army for some three years, and 
often with tears ; but I do not meet with that change I wish." 
I preached to him and prayed with him often, urging him to 
exercise implicit faith in Christ, and recounted to him some of 
the evidences of the gracious state, and gave him Jameses Anxious 
Inquirer to read. After reading it, he said he thought he had 
been deceived, and his anxiety seemed to increase, and his chief 
concern was to know what' to do to be saved. Suffering much 
from his severe wound in the left arm, he had many ups and 
downs, and sometimes we almost despaired of his recovery. But 
he persevered, prayed on. God worked in him ; light burst upon 
his soul ; and plucking up courage, and feeling determined to 
fight on in the good fight, he says, "Iwill j^ray on, jyray till I die, 
and if I go to hell, I will go praying." " That's right ! May 
God help and bless you. Make up your mind, by grace, to 
become a Christian, and God will help you. When the prodigal 
son made up his mind and resolved, ' I will arise, and go to my 
Father,' he soon came home. Jacob said, ' I will not let thee go, 
except thou bless me ; ' and God blessed him there." His good 
wife visited him often ; with a tender, anxious heart, he would 
often weep profusely. He continued to pray and read, got better, 
was promoted," his doubts were removed, and God's smiles re- 
stored, and I left him rejoicing in the God of his salvation. If 
doubts encompass, if clouds of darkness surround you, do not be 
discouraged ! Look to Jesus ! pray to God ; pray earnestly ; pray 
in faith, and God will hear and bless ! 

" PRAYER IS A GREAT PRIVILEGE " 

That " My dear husband is dead ! " is very sad news to the 
afieetionate wife ; but it was very common news from the army 
and hospital. But that he died for his country lessens the sorrow 
and sadness very much ; and that he died happy in the triumph 
of faith lessens it much more. How great the loss to the family! 
though gain to the departed. Michael Shawley, 206th Pa., Co. K, 



190 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 

at our first interview, wept profusely, and was very tender and 
penitent. Said he had been praying for years, though a non- 
professor. He said, " I feel, if I were called away to-day, I would 
go to heaven. I feel happy. I thought I could go to heaven 
without joining church." Apparently "perfectly resigned, he said, 
"■ Not my will, but God's be done. If I die, tell my wife I die 
happy." " Oh, how exalted the privilege ; dying upon the altar of 
your country ; dying at the foot of God's throne, resigned to his 
will, and dying happy in the Lord ! What kind of a heart have 
you now ? " " A bad, wicked heart ; yet, if it don't deceive me, 
I have given it to God." " Do you find it easy to pray ? " 
" Yes ; prayer is a great privilege." " Though a non-professor, 
you seem to be a Christian ; yet the Saviour's sweet command, 
* Do this in remembrance of me,' I suppose you never obeyed ? " 
" No ; I never went to the Lord's table, but I often desired to." 
" It is a great privilege, refreshing to the soul, and strengthening 
to the heart, which no Christian should deny himself. It is his 
ric/hf, it is his dufi/, and to disobey is sin. When God, through 
his great mercy, converts a sinner, he ought to acknowledge it 
before the world. ' Come out from among them, saith the Lord, 
and I will receive you,' " He lingered till March 3, 1865, and 
no doubt went home to heaven. 



"OH, THAT I HAD VENTURED BEFORE." 

This was the zveeping lament of a brave, patriotic soldier who 
had put off repentance till brought to the verge of the grave. 
His name was Richard Delling, 8th Maine, Co. E. We visited 
him often, preached to and conversed with him, and urged him 
to immediate repentance. He seemed penitent, tender, and anx- 
ious, and wept freely. We could but weep to hear him recount 
the heroism and losses of his regiment in battle. His chief 
lament was his putting off religion; and sometimes, with most 
intense earnestness, he would exclaim, "Oh, that I had ven- 
tured before. If I had only thought of it a year ago. If I had 
only known of this sickness when I was in health, how much 
better," He resolved to do better. INIr. Martin, from New York, 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 191 

of the Christian Commission, did much for him temporally and 
spiritually. I plead with him, and besought him by the mercies 
of God to come to Jesus, and come noio. He desired a good 
book to read. I gave him one. The Spirit of God seemed to 
strive with him, and he said, " I have a firmer hold on God than 
I have on the devil." " Do you feel the devil tempting you ? " 
" Yes, I do." " ' As a roaring lion, he walketh about, seeking 
whom he may devour,' yet if you resist him, he will flee from 
you. Only meet him with prayer and the sword of the Spirit, 
and he will flee at once. Martin Luther, when tempted by him, 
simply prayed, ' Get away, thou infernal spirit,' and he fled im- 
mediately. Just hold on to God ; cling to the cross ; throw your- 
self right into the outstretched arms of Jesus, and he will rescue 
you from Satan's grasp, wash your soul in his blood, and save 
you in spite of the devil. Just cut loose from Satan at once, and 
surrender yourself, heart and all, to Christ, and he will give you 
a kingdom of righteousness, joy, and peace." " How very strik- 
ing your warning words. Oh, that I had ventured before." 
"Ventured before?" "Yes." "It is not too late now. The 
Spirit still strives ; the blood of Christ still cleanseth from all 
sin. Jesus still cries, ^ How often would I have gathered you,' 
and beseeches you look and live, believe and be saved : just 
come to him as you are, and there is no venture about it. Ven- 
ture ! Venture, in going to Jesus ! No ; thank God, there 
is no venture about it. It is a sure thing. God's promises, 
made in infinite wisdom and backed by omnipotent power, are 
all sure. Only believe, and you'll be saved." He seemed to be 
coming to Christ, growing in grace, and said, "I see a light;" 
and among his last words to me were, " I am happy in the 
Lord." Lingering along till February 27, 1865, his mortal frame 
gave way, and he went, we hope, to dwell with God in heaven. 

«' I AM GUILTY OF EVERYTHING BUT THEFT AND MURDER," 

Said Lawrence McGavern, 2d Pa. Heavy Art.,Co. G, as we 
were conversing about the value of the soul, the wickedness of 
the heart, and the love of Christ. He was very low and danger- 



192 CHEISTIAXITY IN THE WAR. 

ous with the phthisic. " What kind of a life have you lived ? " " I 
have lived a very wicked life. I am guilty of everything but 
theft and murder. I am a great sitmer." " Truly you are a great 
sinner. But Christ is a great Saviour — a greater Saviour than 
you are sinner ; more willing to forgive than you are to commit 
sin ; more mighty to save than even you or Satan is to destroy. 
Guilty of everything but theft and murder ? " " Yes." " Your 
sins are great, yet Christ's love is greater. Christ's love is stronger 
than death, sweeter than life, and vast as eternity. The love of 
Christ constraineth us. At the tap of the drum, the patriot 
soldier leaves home, goes forth, fights, bleeds, and dies to save 
his country. Christ left heaven, and came to earth, to die upon 
Calvary to save sinners. He has wrought out salvation, fulfilled 
the law, made an atonement for sin, bought us with his blood, 
paid the price of our redemption, and, in a word, made all things 
ready, and now beseeches you look and live, believe and be saved. 
He saves the greatest sinners. He saved the thief on the cross ; 
he saved some of his own murderers at the foot of it, and he will 
save you, if you will repent and trust in him." As I talked, read, 
and jjrayed with him, the Spirit seemed to strive and the word 
to sink deep into his heart. He appeared to be deeply penitent, 
and anxious to be prayed for. Thanking me heartily for my 
prayers, he said he prayed, felt penitent, and trusted in the Lord. 
"How long have you been in the array?" "Almost three 
years ; my time is out to-morrow." " Out to-morrow ? And 
what if your time on earth should be out to-morrow ? Do you 
feel willing and prepared to go ? " "I hope so," he said, with 
deep emotion and tears. " My sins are great, yet I believe not 
unpardonable. I find it easy to pray now, and Jesus seems more 
precious." " This is the crisis of your soul. Without doubt 
your last sands are running, time with you will soon be no more. 
Oh, then, we pray you, we beseech you, by the agonies of the Son 
of God, escape for thy life, fly to Jesus, and salvation is yours." 
He lingered along until January 1, 1865: his time was out, and 
his soul took its flight. A voice seemed to say, " The battle is 
fought, and the victory is won." 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 193 



"I EXPECT TO GET RELIGION AVHEN I GET HOME." 

In our interviews with Henry Lucas, 39tli 111., Co. H, we 
always found him disposed to procrastinate and "put it oiF." 
He said, " I expect to get religion when I get home." " Why 
not get it here noio f " " This place is unfavorable ; there is so 
much wickedness, profanity, etc., here." " Still, the Lord is here, 
waiting to be gracious, and give you eternal life. Repentance 
will be just as easy here as at home; the way of salvation is the 
same here as at home ; God and Jesus Christ are the same here 
as at home ; and your disposition to put it oiF is a delusion of the 
devil. Delay is the devil's verb ; Noio is God's time. What if 
you should never get home ? Then, according to your own plans, 
you will be lost. Oh, how unreasonable and dangerous ! If a 
friend were to offer you a gift of one hundred thousand dollars here, / 
to-day, would you wait till you got home to receive it ? " " No ; 
I would accejit it now." " Why, then, refuse the gift of eternal 
life now, which is infinitely more valuable ? If you were a 
deserter, sentenced to be executed, and the President would offer 
you pardon, would you refuse it ? " " No ; I would most gladly 
receive it." "You have deserted God; and you have been 
arrested, tried, and condemned to eternal death. Jesus now 
offers you pardon and eternal life, and you refuse it — refuse it 
at the peril of your soul. Is it wise? is it reasonable? is it safe?" 
"No." "Are you willing to risk it?" "No." "Then seek 
ye the Lord while he may be found. May God help, bless, and 
save you." 

BLEEDING TO DEATH, YET "RESTING ON CHRIST." 

Emanuel Byers, 116th Ohio, Co. D (ward number twelve), 
was severely wounded in the left arm at the last great battle 
near Petersburg, Va., which resulted in the fall of Eichmond, 
the flight of Jeff. Davis, Lee's surrender, and the death of 
the confederacy. At our first interview, we found him very 
tender and anxious. He said, " I am going to become a Christian 
when I get home." " What if you should never get home ? " 
13 



194 CHRISTIAXITY IN THE WAE. 

I said; and lie began to tliink and reflect. I visited him very 
often; prayed with and preached occasionally to him and his 
Avard, warning them " to flee the wrath to come," to repent, and 
fly to Christ. He read his Bible mnch, and when I talked to 
him abont his sins, the mercy of God, and the love of Christ, he 
would weep like a child. He said, " I started once to go to the 
mourner's bench, burdened with sin and a heart ready to burst ; 
but a friend called me back, and I did not go. The feelings 
wore oif, and I have never felt the same since." Yet he was not 
" without hope." Time fled : he lived on, got better, prayed, 
and bled occasionally. On May 1st, he said, " My prayers were 
answered last night, and I now feel more comfortable," Calling 
on him two days after, he seemed to be growing in grace and 
drawing nearer and nearer unto God, and his prospects both 
temporal and spiritual looked brighter. He prayed on, and I 
besought him, by the mercies of God and the love of Christ, to 
make an immediate and entire surrender of himself to the Saviour. 
Life ebbed away. There lies the brave patriot, with his life- 
blood gradually flowing from his M^ound. " It is hard to leave 
you. Oh, my dear fellow, come to Jesus just as you are, and 
come now. May God bless, help, and enable you to come. 
Having shed your own blood for the salvation of your country, 
come and enjoy the cleansing, saving power of the blood of 
Jesus ! " Reading and praying with him again, we bade him fare- 
well, and left him. Calling again shortly after, we found him 
indulging a bright hope, and he said, "I think God has forgiven 
my sins, and that I have experienced a ' change of heart.' " A 
pleasant smile upon his pale face seemed to denote he was at 
peace with God. At our next call he bid fair to get well, and 
said, " I am resting on Christ swre." " Thank God ! and are you 
sure of it?" "Yes, I feel so, chaplain." "What a glorious 
attainment ! Dying for your country, and yet dying in the 
Lord ! " He lived along for several days, until the tying of his 
wound gave way: he bled to death May 27th, 1865, with his 
body all bathed in his own blood, and his soul, we trust, washed 
in the blood of Jesus, went home to dwell with God. 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 195 

"PRAYING FOR SPORT." 

While many of the soldiers died triumphantly, some seemed to 

go " without hope." , of 67th Ohio, Co. F, a stout, 

robust man, and a brave soldier, was brought from " the front," 
mortally wounded with a minie-ball in the left side of his head, 
into a tent in Avard number twenty-four. Though drowsy, he 
was sensible, but not disposed to talk much. Upon canvassing 
his heart, he said, "I am not a religious man." "Do you read 
the Bible?" "Yes; I read it some." "The Saviour says, 
'Search the Scriptures.' Do you ever pray?" " I and others 
have prayed for sport." " Prayed for sport ! What ! mocking 
God ! " " Yes, I 'spose you may call it that." " Did you not 
feel afraid God would smite you dead ? " " No ; we had no 
fear of God before our eyes." " Pray for sport ! oh, how awful ! 
how deep the depravity of the human heart ! Do you ever 
swear ? " " Yes, occasionally." " And don't you feel sorry for 
your sins of profanity and mocking God ? " " Yes ; I know it 
is wrong." " Have you ever felt any special interest in reli- 
gion?" "No, nothing particular; I have lived a careless life." 
"Though you are a great sinner, yet Christ is a great Saviour. 
He is more willing to forgive than you are to commit sin. 
Christ's love is stronger than the sinner's enmity. His blood 
' cleanseth from all sin.' Do you^feel your sins to be great?" 
"Yes; they are very great." "Jesus is mighty to save. You 
have received one wound for the salvation of the country ; Jesus 
received five for the salvation of the soul. That ball in your 
head is not as bad as sin in your heart ; that ball may destroy 
your life ; but your sins, unless you repent, will destroy your 
soul. Oh, then, we entreat you, repent, look to Christ ; throw 
yourself right into the arms of Jesus, and he will save you. 
Grasp him by faith, like a drowning man grasps a lifeboat, and 
all will be well. God calls ; Jesus invites, and says, ' Come unto 
rae, and I will give you rest.' Time is short; life uncertain. 
Now is the accepted time. Look, and live ! " He lingered a few 
days, became stupid, and died November 10, 1864, without giving 
any particular evidence of preparation. Reader, be warned ! 



196 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

"I GAVE MY HEART TO JESUS," 

Said DwiGHT Williams, 203d Pa., Co. C, as he related his 
religious experience. " That is a very reasonable, profitable gift : 
Jesus gave himself, shed his blood, gave his life for us; and it is 
but a reasonable service that we should give our hearts unto 
him." " Do you feel that you have given him your heart ? " 
"Yes; I feel so, and he seems very precious to my soul." 
"Think he has given you a neio heart?" "I trust he has." 
" Our hearts are very wicked and deceitful, and the springs of 
action lie very deep ; therefore, lest we be deceived, we should 
closely examine ourselves, search our hearts, and see if they are 
right with God, and pray, like David, ' Create in me a clean 
heart, O God ! ' Do you ever say bad words ? " " No ; I detest 
swearing." " Do you pray regularly ? " " Yes ; I prayed at 
home, and I pray in the army too." All about him seemed to 
l)ear marks of the new creature, and offering him the consola- 
tions of the gospel, and commending him to God in prayer, we 
bade him a long farewell, November 7th, 1864. He lingered till 
next day, when his soul was dismissed from its clay tenement, 
and, washed in Christ's blood, doubtless went home to be forever 
with the Lord. 

"CHRIST IS EVERYTHING TO ME," 

Said Charles Wilson, 16th N. Y. Heavy Art., as he related 
his religious experience. Though a non-professor at home, he 
now seemed to have Christ formed wdthin him ; and his own 
dying words seemed clearly to evince that Christ, of God, had 
been made unto him " wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and 
redemption." (1 Cor. i. 30.) " What evidence have you that 
Christ is yours ? " "I think much about him ; I love to hear 
about him, to read his word ; and he appears so lovely, and I 
feel he has forgiven my sins." " How rich the inheritance, and 
how great the consolation ! If Christ is everything unto you, 
then all things are yours, whether the world, or life, or death, or 
things present, or things to come — all are yours; and ye are 
Christ's." "Then you don't want?" "No; the Lord is my 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 197 

shepherd, I shall not want." " You must feel very happy ? " 
" Yes, I feel happy, and am not afraid to die." " With Jesus 
Christ for your prophet, priest, and king, dying for your country 
— for the cause of God, liberty, and truth — you have no need to 
fear death, for then Ho die is gain, and to depart is far better,'" 
This was October 20th, 1864. John Lambert, who died a 
martyr at the stake, while his fingers' ends were flaming with 
lire, exclaimed, " None but Christ ; none but Christ ! " Charles 
survived until next day, and with his weeping wife at his side, 
witnessing his last struggle with the king of terrors, his soul 
bid farewell to its clay tenement and the world, and went, we 
trust, where all is joy and peace. 

" MY SINS ARE GREAT AND HEAVY," 

Said Smith A. Conner, 62d Ohio, Co. I, as I was canvassing 
his smitten, tender heart. With his soul stirred, he was very 
anxious, prayerful, penitent, and had a deep sense of his sins. 
His principal inquiry was, " What must I do to be saved ? " 
He prayed while I stood at his side, and the burden of his prayer 
was, " God be merciful to me a sinner ! " He sent for me, and 
requested me to pray that his sins be blotted out. " You seem 
to feel deeply the weight of your sins ? " " Yes, my sins are 
great and heavy." " ' The blood of Christ cleansetli from all sin.' 
Come to him, and ' though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be 
as white as snow.' Why don't you come to Christ at once? 
Now is the time." " I do try to ; but somehow something 
hinders me." "There is nothing in the way but yourself; 
Christ is willing, able, waiting. All things are ready. You 
must let go self, and lay hold of Jesus, and he will blot out your 
sins, and wash your soul in his own blood. Step right out on 
the promises of God, and grasp Christ by faith, and he will save 
you. Jesus is here knocking at the door of your heart, warning, 
inviting, and beseeching you, by the pains of hell and by the 
joys of heaven, be ye reconciled to God. Time is short ; eternity 
is near ; Death shakes his dart ; the grave yawns ; hell frowns, 
and heaven smiles ! and icill you, can you delay ? How long 



198 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 

will you halt ? Christ says, in tones of love and mercy, ' My 
son, my son, give me thy heart!' Just think how lamentable it 
will be for you to die for your country and lose your own soul ; 
die beside the Prince of Life, and yet die and be lost ? Oh, my 
dear friend, look to Christ, and look now ! " Preaching and 
praying with him, and commending him to God, we left him. 
He lingered a few days, and died full of hope November 7th, 
1864. 

"SATAN IS OFTEN AT MY HEELS, 

" But I keeps him off," said Josiah Murdock, 4th U. S., Co. 
H, colored. " How do you keep him off? " " I keeps him off 
by faith and prayer. I prays, and then he goes away." " Does 
Satan tempt you often ? " " Yes ; but I resist him, and he flees. 
Satan made three bold, imprudent attacks upon the Saviour ; but 
he always met him with the sword of the Spirit, and invariably 
put him to flight. Paul says, ' Put on the whole armor of God, 
that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.'" 
" How long have you been praying ? " " Two years, this fall. I 
am trying to go to heaven." " The way is straight and narrow. 
It requires close watching, straight walking, and earnest praying. 
The Christian's life is a warfare. Jesus, our great Captain, 
commands us to strive, fight, contend, watch, pray, and be faith- 
ful. Think you have got God in your heart ? " " Yes ; I think 
so." " Do you love the Saviour ? " " Yes ; I try to love him 
with all my heart." "Pray on, Josiah. Be earnest, cling to 
the cross. ' Be thou faithful unto death, and God will give you 
a crown of life.' " 



"I WOULD RATHER DIE." — JAMES WARD. 

It was a cold, chilly night, late in November, 1864, near mid- 
night, when I was called to see James Ward, 81st JST. Y., Co. I, 
lying in a cold, dreary tent in the Gangrene Camp. At first 
sight he seepied to be nigh unto death, from a severe wound 
received while battling for his country. With a strong, abiding 
faith in Him who giveth life, he manifested no fear at the ap- 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 199 

proacli of death. Having been trying to serve God some five 
years, he said, " Clirist is all my hope; and he is growing more 
and more precious." I asked him what word he had to send to 
his family. He said, with deep emotion and tears, " Tell them 
I am happy in Christ. That I would like to live for their sake, 
if God is willing, and if it would glorify his name ; but for my- 
self, I Avould rather die." To die is gain. How solemn the 
scene. Gather round and gaze upon the Christian patriot dying 
for his country; dying in the Lord, resigned to God's will as 
his rule, and ready to live or die for the promotion of God's 
glory as his end. What a happy attainment ! How consoling 
his dying message to his bereaved wife and children. " Tell 
them I am happy in the Lord." And the fervor and affectionate 
tenderness with which he spoke these words added much to their 
import. I read the fourteenth of John, endeavoring to comfort 
him Avith those consoling words ; and kneeling down upon the 
cold ground, we commended him to God in prayer. On bidding 
him farewell, he expressed a strong hope and a bright assurance 
that we would meet again around God's bright throne in heaven. 
" Jerome of Prague sung God's praise till choked by the flames 
at the stake, and with his dying breath said, ' This soul in 
flames, I offer, Christ, to thee.' You, having sacrificed your 
life upon the altar of your country, now seem ready to offer your 
soul to Jesus." His soul seemed to be wrapped in joy and bliss. 
The serenity of his countenance, his calm, composed spirit, 
together with his easy departure, seemed to say, " Thanks be to 
God, who giveth us the victory," and to his weeping wife and 
children, "weep not," be of good "cheer," and strive to meet 
me in heaven. He lingered till next day, and God took him 
home. 

A SOLDIER'S CREED. 

As I approached Jacob Boston, 188th Pa. Vol., Co. C, he 
grasped my hand very warmly, and said, " I trust in God, and 
shall be saved, and it makes me happy." What a short, j)lain, 
comprehensive creed ! Would to God every soldier could 
heartily adopt it. Just look at it. Three blessed things — faith. 



200 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

salvation, happiness. Faith in God as the source ; assurance, the 
privilege; happiness, the result. Strong faith always fills the 
soul with joy. "Believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and 
full of glory." " I suppose you have no fear of death?" "Xo; 
with faith in God, I fear not." Perpetua was sentenced to mar- 
tyrdom, and when most earnestly besought by her tender father 
to renounce Christ, great was the struggle in her heart ; but grace 
at last triumphed, and she said, " I am not in my own power, 
but in that of God ; " and when asked, "Art thou a Christian ? " 
she said, " I am ;" and when condemned to execution, she returned 
to her prison filled with joy, saying, " None of these things move 
me." It was the power of faith. She died in triumph. " Have 
tliith in God." 

"I SEE SO MUCH BAD CHRISTIANITY, I AM DISCOURAGED," 

Said George H. Gilbert, 34th Mass., Co. I, as I was trying 
to persuade and urge him to come to Jesus. " Blinded by sin 
since the fall, man's ways have been very crooked, and so prone to 
evil that, even after regeneration, there is much that is wayward 
and perverse. We must not expect perfection, even in Christians. 
What kind of life have you lived ? " "I have lived careless and 
prayerless." " Do you swear ? " " Yes, often ; but I am quit- 
ting it now." "Quitting it? Why don't you quit it at oncef 
From the bleeding of your wound, you look pale and weak, and 
God only knows how short may be your time on earth. You 
have fought and bled, and are ready to die for your country; and 
yet you have never prayed for it, nor for yourself. God com- 
mands us to pray and repent now ! You should regard that 
wound as a call to repent, and trust in Him who was wounded 
for our transgressions. Let every bleeding be a warning to come 
to Him who bled for you. You see in to stumble over the bad 
Christianity of professors. This is a sinful excuse. You are 
excusing one sin with another sin ; excusing your own great sin 
of rejecting Christ with professors' sins. God will never hear 
such excuses ; and if you go to the judgment-seat with them, he 
will bid you depart — ' depart, ye cursed, into everlasting fire ! ' 



CHEISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 201 

There is much inconsistent practice in professors, we admit ; 
but they are not to be taken as examples. No : take Christ as 
your example; and remember, if you stumble into perdition over 
professors' imperfections, it won't lessen the torment any. It is 
your own fault. ' Every tub must stand on its own bottom ; ' and, 
unless we all stand on the ' Rock of Ages,' we will sink to hell. 
Oh, then, we beseech you, by the love of Christ and by the joys 
of heaven, repent, and become a devoted Christian, and set the 
church a good example, and provoke others to good works. 
Come out from the world. Be 'a living epistle,' and God will 
save you ! May God abundantly bless you ! Professor, beware ; 
* take heed to thyself; ' ' keep thyself pure ; ' walk worthy, lest 
you be a stumbling-block to others." 

"JESUS IS STILL PRECIOUS." 

Peter Robbins, 203d Pa., Co. F, was mortally wounded in 
the heroic fight of Fort Fisher, N. C, and brought to the hospital 
with an arm amputated, and with a bad stump. Though heroic 
and patient, he never seemed to get along well ; he was a calm, 
harmless, meek Methodist. Though he suffered long and severe, 
he bore it all very patiently, without a complaining word ; pray- 
erful and humble, he said, " Christ is all my trust." " None else 
is worthy of trust ; none but Jesus can do helpless sinners good ; 
he is mighty to save! Throw yourself right into his arras, and 
he will sustain, bless, and comfort you." I visited him very 
often, and preached to him occasionally. He said, February 18, 
'^Jesus is still precious." Getting worse, he said, February 21, " I 
can die happy." " You helped to win a glorious victory at Fort 
Fisher ; but only cling to Jesus, and he will enable you to win 
a victory far more glorious when you die." His wound became 
gangrened, and he was taken to the Gangrene Camp, where he 
suffered, not only from his wound, but from cold. There was no 
fire in his tent. Lingering till February 26, 1865, death closed 
the scene, and God took him home to glory. Pev. McClaren 
said, when he was dying, " I am gathering together all my pray- 
ers, sermons, good and evil deeds, and am going to throw them 



202 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

all overboard, and swim to glory on the plank of free grace." 
Christ was all his trust ! 



«'I STILL HOLD ON TO GOD." 

Perry AVelsh, 67th Ohio, Co. A, though rather careless and 
indifferent at first, soon became deeply interested in his soul's 
salvation. Becoming prayerful, tender, penitent, and resigned to 
God's will, he said, " I am not afraid to die." '' Do you love the 
Saviour?" "Yes," he replied. " Love is the fulfilling of the 
law — the very heart, soul, and core of Christianity. And if 
you love Jesus, you need not fear death, for then heaven is sure. 
What a glorious attainment, to rise above the fear of death ! It 
requires courage to face the enemy on the field of battle; but to 
face death, God, and eternity, requires far greater courage." He 
became more anxious, tender, and earnest ; and at my last call 
with him, he said, "I still hold on to God's will." "That's 
right ! Hold on, hold on to the cross, and stand by the flag ; 
hold on to Jesus ; hold fast ; be steadfast ! When waves of trouble 
rise, hold on ; when the world allures, and temptations press, 
hold on ; when you go to face the enemy amid the shock of bat- 
tle, hold on to the flag, and cling to the cross ! Above all, hold 
on, when you come to face death and fight the last great battle 
of life ! Be faithful ; go on ; never let go the cross, and you will 
surely win the crown ! " Lingering till January 5, 1865, he let 
go the vital cord, and went home, we trust, to glory. 

"I PRAY MUCH IN BATTLE." 

At my first interview with Joshua Smith, 11th Western Va., 
Co. F, I found him a decided Christian. Having passed the 
sea of doubts, he now seemed to enjoy full assurance. He said, 
" I have no doubt God will make it all right with me : " said 
he, " I pray much in battle, on the march, and everywhere." He 
seemed very tender and penitent, and wept as we talked about 
these things. " And did you find time to pray in battle ? " " Oh, 
yes ; I would load and fire, and pray at the same time." " What ! 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 203 

pray much in battle, when so much depends upon every man 
doing his utmost with his musket and sword ? " " Yes ; for the 
victory is of God, after all." " Pray much in battle, when your 
captain commands you to fight ? " '^ Yes ; for the great Captain 
commands us, ' watch and pray ! '" " How striking the diiference ; 
you pray much in battle, and many never find time to pray ! 
You are right ; with the grave yawning, eternity approaching, 
and comrades falling and dying, it is a needy time to pray. We 
should pray as though God did everything in battle, and fight as 
though man had everything to do himself." He lived till June 
4, 1865, and passed away to where there will be no more war, 
pain, nor death. Let the prayerless be warned and admonished. 
" What," said the Saviour, " could ye not watch with me one 
hour ? Watch and pray, lest ye fall into temptation." 

A SOLDIER WITH SEVEN WOUNDS. 

John AVertz, 23d Ohio, Co. D, received seven wounds in 
one of the last battles near Petersburg, Va. Patient, brave, and 
patriotic, though he lay on his back for several months and suf- 
fered severely, he took it all very calmly. His recovery at times 
was doubtful, but with extra care and with his strong nerve and 
composed disposition, he gradually improved. Penitent, prayer- 
ful, resigned, he said he enjoyed religion, and seemed to enjoy 
a well-grounded hope. " You have received seven wounds to 
save your country ; Christ received five to save the world. If 
you look to him, he will save you." I preached to him and his 
ward often, warning them to flee the wrath to come, and accept 
of the great salvation. At my last interview with him, he said, 
" I still pray and trust in the Lord." He was gaining strength 
and improving, when I left him with his seven scars of honor. 

"I CAN AFFORD TO SUFFER," 

Said JuDSON Spalding, 10th N. Y. Art., Co. H, as we talked 
about Jesus and his prospects of heaven. He seemed to be rooted 
and grounded in love, and, blessed with patience, said, " I can 



204 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

afford to suffer, since Christ has suffered so much for inc. I trust 
in him, and he is all my hope." " I am very glad to find vou 
ill your sufferings looking unto Jesus, who, for the joy that was 
set before him, endured the cross with such perfect resignation. 
Since the immaculate Son of God suffered and died for us, well 
may we afford to suffer and die for him and for our country. If 
you grow impatient while suffering, go to Calvary, and learn of 
Jesus how to bear it. Think of the heroic martyr dying at the 
stake rather than turn traitor to the cause of Christ. And when 
called to suffer, it will help us to bear it patiently to remem- 
ber that Jesus Christ, who hath gone before us as our example, 
' hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows ; ' so that if we 
suffer with him, we shall also reign with him in glory. 'No 
cross, no crown.' Jesus, filled with compassion, even prayed 
for his own murderers on the cross, and cried, ' Father, forgive 
them ; for they know not what they do.' " 

A HAPPY, SHOUTING SOLDIER. 

" I have God in my heart, Christ in my soul, and heaven for 
my home," said Peter Jones, 36th U. S., Co. B, colored, as he 
related his experience. " You seem to be very happy, Peter ? " 
" Yes, thank God, chaplain ; I am happy." " When were you 
converted ? " " Last March." " Where ? " " At Point of Rocks, 
Va. I rose up about three o'clock, got out of bed, and shouted 
glory to God for nearly an hour. The nurse tried to hold me, 
but when they saw that I was not out of my head, they let me 
go." '* Think you have God in your heart ?" " Yes, I have no 
doubt of it." " Do you feel like holding on ? " " Yes ; by the 
grace of God, I mean to stand fast." "It is all of grace. Christ 
says, ' Without me, ye can do nothing ; ' but if you trust in- him, 
he will give you grace to conquer. With God in your heart, and 
Christ in your soul, you must be very rich, Peter." " I suppose 
I must be rich, chaplain, yet I feel very poor and weak." " Christ 
says, ' Blessed are the poor in spirit.' And with all your as- 
surance, Peter, let me say to you, beivare, watch, and pray. Our 
hearts are very deceitful. God says, * Let him that thinketh he 




REAR A D, 5. F DU PONT 








CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 205 

standetli, take heed lest he fall.' The boasting Apostle Peter 
thought he could stand everything; yet he trembled before a little 
maid, and thrice denied his Master with cursing and swearing. 
May God bless you, Peter." 

"I WOULD LIKE TO BE A CHRISTIAN, IF I COULD KEEP IT," 

Said Abraham Weed, 58th Pa., Co. E, as we besought him 
to be reconciled to God. Anxious and hopeful, he said, " I have 
quit swearing pretty much; and I would like to have religion, 
if I could keep it." " Fii'st attend to getting it, and never fear 
losing it. If you only get it, the Lord will help and enable 
you to keep it. We are kept by the poiver of God through faith 
unto salvation. Jesus Christ is mighty to save, able to save unto 
the uttermost. Only trust in him, and he will be as a wall of 
fire round about you, and keep you as the apple of his eye, and 
make all things work together for your good, and let no evil touch 
thee. For he says, ' When thou passest through the waters, I 
will be with thee ; and through the rivers, they shall not over- 
flow thee. When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not 
be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.' Only em- 
brace Christ and cling to him, and there is no danger of losing 
him." With a tender, smitten heart, he wept as we urged him 
to go to Jesus. " Come to him now, just as you are, and he will 
forgive your sins, save your soul, and be with you always to 
guide, guard, sustain, bless, and comfort you." He died May 
27, 1865. 

<' I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT PRAYER." 

George E. Cleveland, 5th N. Y. Cavalry, Co. F, at our first 
interview, seemed to be a decided Christian. He said, " All mv 
hope is in God ; " "I have much faith in prayer ; " " Christ was 
all my hope while in prison," and " I believed that he Avould 
bring me home." He was much given to prayer ; he said, " I 
think I could not live through the night without it." " I suj)i50se 
your religion gave you strong consolation in Andersonville, amid 
so much suftering, starvation, and dearii ? " " Oh, yes ; it was a 



206 CHEISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 

great comfort." " How very encouraging to find yoii indulging 
such a strong hope ' in Him who is our only hope.' We are pri- 
soners of hope. Hope is the anchor of the soul. God is our 
refuge and strength ; a very present help in trouble. Jesus says, 
' Lo, I am with you always.' " He lived till April 16, 1865, when 
death severed the vital cord, and his hope, we trust, was lost in 
full fruition. 

" THE LORD IS MINE," 

Uttered Hexry A. Lathrop, 8th Conn., Co. I, in a low, 
feeble tone, as he was standing upon the brink of eternity, while 
I was trying to point him to the blessed Saviour. He was too 
weak to talk but little ; it was too late to get his history. Al- 
though apparently seized with death, he was able to say, " I am 
happy ! " "I want nothing." " I feel that ' the Lord is mine, 
and all is well.' " How very comprehensive, and how clearly 
those few sentences evince the gracious state ! With the love of 
Christ shed abroad in his heart, and the Spirit bearing witness, 
the brave Christian soldier rises above all doubts, and to the 
waiting crowd announces his dying words, " I am happy, and 
'all is well.'" There, with the grave yawning to engulf him, 
and Jesus waiting to receive him, having given his life for his 
country, and now grappling with death, he is enabled to say with 
a decided though weak tone of voice, " The Lord is mine." How 
great the loss ! how incomparably rich the gain ! Life is lost, but 
heaven is gained ! How sweet and consoling the language of 
assurance, " My Beloved is mine, and I am his ! " Ownership 
in God ; and it is mutual — " The Lord is mine, and I am his ! " 
How rich the inheritance " All things are yours ! " hence, " All 
is well." A death message is sad news to send home to weeping 
friends ; but when accompanied with ^ich a happy, triumphant 
death, when " all is well ! " it^oothes the sorrows and calms 
the troubled breast. He expired September 29_, 1864. 

"I CAN'T PRAY," 

Said Charles A. Hinkle, 130th Ohio, Co. D, as we urged 
him to pray and repent. " Did you ever try to pray ? " " No; 



CHEISTIAXITY IX THE WAE. 207 

I never felt like praying, and never tried it." " I hope you 
have a praying mother ? " " No ; I am of a prayerless family." 
" Do you swear ? " " No ; I never swear. I go to church, and 
try to live a moral life." " Morality is very important, but it is 
not enough. You need not swear, lie, or get drunk, or murder, 
in order to be lost; no, only neglect salvation, and you will be 
lost sure. ^ How shall ye escape, if ye neglect so great a salva- 
tion ? ' ' Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.' You 
must turn, or die ; believe, or be lost. You say you 'canH pray ;' 
you can, if you will ! Prayer is very simple. It is asking God 
for what you want in Christ's name. Do you want to be saved ?" 
" Yes." " Then ask God for salvation, and he will save you. 
' Ask, and ye shall receive.' " " But I don't know how ! " 
"Ask God to teach you. Pray, ' Lord, teach me how to pray ; ' 
pray, like the publican, ' God be merciful to me a sinner ; ' pray, 
like sinking Peter, ' Lord, save me ! ' Will you try it ? " 
" Yes." " The Lord help and bless you." 

"I FOUND JESUS." 

Eeuben Alexander, 29th U. S., Co. D, was a man of bright 
talents, and fluent in conversation. He was wounded in his left 
arm, and possessed much firmness and decision of character. On 
canvassing his heart, he said, " I have been converted eleven years ; 
and although I have enjoyed much comfort in religion, I still 
want more and more : I am never satisfied." " What were the 
circumstances of your conversion ? " " My father, mother, and 
brothers were sold from me, and I wondered where I 'd get 
more good friends. An old man told me of Jesus. I prayed to 
him, ' Lord, Lord, Lord, have mercy on me ! ' God heard my 
prayers, and I found Jesus, and then I had glory in my cabin. 
And, oh, I was so happy then ! God has been very g6od to me." 
" Do you ever backslide ?" " No ; me never backslide. I clings 
to Jesus, watch and pray." He seemed to be an earnest Christian, 
with clear views of the plan of sal vation. He said, " To be a Chris- 
tian and live it out, we must plough deep and plough straight." 
" That is so," I said; "it requires close watching and straight 



208 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

%valking. The Lord says, ' Love mercy, deal justly, and walk 
worthy.' ' Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.' 
Be faithful ; keep your lamp trimmed and burning, and be a 
burning, a shining light. May God bless you." 

"I LEAVE IT ALL WITH THE LORD." 

On approaching Phil Cortege, 19th U. S., Co. C, lying on 
his bed, I asked him how he did. He said, " I suffer, and am 
sick for want of food." He seemed discouraged, and said, " I 
don't expect ever to get out of this till I am carried out on a 
stretcher." I said to him, "'Be of good courage, and God will 
strengthen your heart.' (Ps. xxvii. 14.) Let not your heart be 
troubled ; be of good cheer. Only believe, and God will make 
all things — all these trials, deprivations, wounds, and afflictions — 
work together for your good. Do you trust in the Lord ? " " Yes ; 
I trust in him. I leave it all with the Lord." He seemed to be very 
honest, penitent, and humble, and yet how resigned. Prostrated 
upon a sick-bed, away from home, and with a deep, anxious care 
for his dear wife and children, with a heroic patience he said, " I 
leave it all to the Lord." And the manner in which he said it 
added much to the resignation conveyed. It was a voluntary ex- 
pression of his submission to God's will, and a mark of very high 
Christian attainment in weeping Philip. " Do you pray ? " "I 
prays all de time. I makes praying my business." He said he had 
served God twenty-four years, and appeared to be a decided 
Christian. I pointed him to the consolations of the cross, and he 
soon got well. John Fletcher received on his death-bed such a 
manifestation of the full meaning of the words, God is love, he said, 
" It fills my heart every moment," and he exclaimed, " Shout, 
shout aloud." His last words were, " I leave it all to God." 

A SWEARER BROUGHT TO TEARS. 

It was on a warm afternoon, July 24, 1864, while visiting 
ward No. 26, I heard a man groaning from pain occasioned by 
his wound beinar dressed. We were all strang-ers. As I ap- 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 209 

proaclied his tent, in the presence of a kind mother, whose sou 
lay by her side, shot in the head, this groaning man swore aw- 
fully. I spoke of his swearing in his presence, and went away. 
Presently, the anxious mother requested me to talk to her 
wounded son about his salvation. She wept and I wept. After 
visiting and reading and praying with a few suffering boys in 
another tent, I returned to see this swearing man; and after 
a hearty shake of the hand, he gave me his religious experience. 
Said he had been in a revival, and was put down for baptism, 
but ran off before his turn came. On telling him of his wicked- 
ness, and beseeching him to repent, and flee the wrath to come, 
he apologized for his profanity. Turning frbm him, I began to 
talk of the joys of heaven to the next poor sick fellow, whose 
brother John was waiting on him, and he requested me to pray 
for him; and his brother burst into tears and wept like a child. 
As I rose from prayer, we found the great swearer all bathed in 
tears. James wept, and as John bade him farewell, he hoped, 
if they met no more on earth, *o meet in heaven. It was really 
a time of refreshing. Sailing round to New York with a ship- 
load of patients, I met James again; and he was so glad and 
thankful, he warmly and affectionately kissed my hand, as he lay 
upon his back, unable to set up. The soldier wounded in the 
head, accompanied with his parents, went on the same ship to 
New York, and got worse, and when his weeping mother asked 
permission to take hini to the City Hospital, the surgeon refused 
her request. It seemed very hard. I supposed he died soon 
after. 

14 



210 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 



CHAPTER XV. 

SKETCHES OF SOLDIERS CONTINUED. 

The Bomb-Peoof Prayer-Meeting— "Are You Ready to Go?"— 
Little Lizzie's Letter — "I Prayed in the Street" — "I Love 
Everybody " — " I Have no Fear " — Sergeant James Tustison : 
" I AM Dying, but I am very Happy " — "I have got It ! "— 
Satan Repulsed by Prayer — " Hell Seems to be Gaping for 
Me " — "I AM Happy in the Lord " — " Converted in the Army 
through Sin" — "Do You Trust in the Lord?" — "Urge Him 
TO Come to Jesus " — " Thank God for My Wound " — Sergeant 
Dwight Kneeland : " My Work is Done " — Died Calling 
for the Chaplain — "Just as God Wishes" — "Tell My 
Mother I Died Happy" — "It is Easier to Serve Satan" — 
" I AM Better in the Army than at Home " — William J. 
Johnson, 142d N. Y., Co. D — " All is Well " — " Old Jacob, " 
The Grave-Digger — " The Bible Better than Greenbacks " 
— " SoMEHOVf it Worked upon Me " — " God Still Sticks to Me " — 
" Chaplain, What Will I Do ? " — " I am on the Devil's 
Side " — " Pray for Me, Chaplain, till I Die : " His Bereaved 
Wife's Letter — "I would as soon go to my Heavenly Home " 
— "I AM Too Wicked to come to Jesus " — " God Grabbed Me 
into His Heart at Once " — "I Prayed on, and God Changed 
My Heart" — "The Devil Coaxed Me Off." 

• 

THE BOMB-PROOF PRAYER-MEETING. 

AS a number of the delegates of the U. S. Christian Commis- 
sion were passing by Fort Albany, then guarded by the 
14th Mass. Volunteers, one of the brave boys said to them, 
*" Look here! " (pointing to a deep hole in the ground ;) " what is 
that ? " " It 's the bomb-proof, where we hoki our daily prayer- 
meetings, down twelve feet under ground." " Do any come ? " 
"Oh, yes; sixty or more." "Do you find the Saviour there?" 
" Yes ; we find him here as well as at home." " So you go down 
to get up ?" " Yes; and that is one of God's fixed, unalterable 
laws, ' We must go down to get up ; ' for God says, ' Before 



CHEISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 211 

honor is humility/ and ^ He that hiimbleth himself shall be 
exalted.' Christ was exalted to heaven because he humbled 
himself, and became ' obedient unto death.' (Phil. ii. 8, 9.) So 
it is with all of us ; we must humble ourselves, if we would be 
exalted ; if we would ever reach the joys of heavei*, we must start 
at the foot of the cross. And do you get very high, and draw 
very near to God, down there ? " " Yes, sir ; and when we meet 
down there, we come away strengthened and refreshed, and feel 
that it was good to be there." " I suppose you all flee down 
there when the rebel balls and shells fall thick around you ? " 
" Yes, that is our refuge in time of extreme peril. But when 
the devil, the first great rebel, shoots his fiery darts, we can't find 
refuge in bomb-proofs, forts, or behind earth-works, because he 
can very easily shoot his poisonous darts through all these. No 
refuge from him is found but in the cleft-rock, Christ Jesus, the 
believer's only stronghold of defence and protection." '* I sup- 
pose when the balls and shells fly thicker, and the danger 
becomes greater, you plead harder for deliverance ? " " Yes ; 
realized danger tends to help us to divest ourselves of self, and 
to draw us nearer to God. The greater our sense of want, 
the harder we can plead for help. Hence, nothing but great 
emergencies will develop and draw out the latent powers of the 
soul. When were the grandest exploits of military genius dis- 
played ? Under some great pressing emergency, when the glories 
of victory, or the salvation of the country, hung upon the division 
of an hour and the action of a moment. When were the greatest 
and most eloquent speeches delivered? Under some very great 
crisis, involving the interests of nations and the destiny of the 
world. When were the most earnest and powerful prayers put 
forth? Under some pre-eminently great emergency involving 
the redemption of a kingdom and the salvation of the world. 
Where, we ask, was Jacob, when he plead with that intense 
importunity and assured confidence that enabled him to exclaim, 
* I will not let thee go, except thou bless me ? ' He was in a case 
of imminent danger, with his life exposed to the direful revenge 
of his incensed brother, whom he was going to meet. When 
did the devoted Daniel plead with such wonderful assurance and 



212 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

power, that his prayer was heard even while he was yet speaking 
and praying; what were his circumstances? It was when he 
was deeply concerned for the deliverance of the captive hosts of 
Israel. It was there, while pouring out his soul and heart unto 
God, crying,* ' O Lord, hear ! O Lord, forgive ! O Lord, 
hearken and do ! defer not, for thine own sake, O my God,' that 
the angel flew from heaven, and announced that the decree had 
gone forth liberating the Jewish captives. What were the 
circumstances that gave rise to the Saviour's agonizing prayer in 
the garden of Gethsemane, which brought the bloody sweat from 
every pore, and led him to exclaim, ' Father, if thy will, let this 
cup pass from me ! ' Whence this most intense importunity and 
anguish of soul ? It is the preparation for the agonies of the 
cross. Jesus is going to Calvary, and feeling the billows of 
God's wrath rising about him, and realizing the fierce conflict 
l>efore him in working out our salvation, he goes to God, and 
]>rays f©r sustaining grace. Where, we ask, was the dying thief, 
when he offered up that effectual prayer that snatched his soul 
from a yawning hell, and landed it safe in heaven ? He was 
hanging upon the cross, in the very agony of death, and with 
the flames of eternal fire kindling at his feet, in the most extreme 
peril. There he hangs ; and, standing upon the pivot of the 
eternal world, feeling that it is the last opportunity, that it will 
soon be salvation or damnation, he earnestly prays, 'Jesus, 
Lord, remember me ! ' and his soul, plucked from the jaws of 
Satan and washed in the Saviour's blood, went home to heaven !" 
I heard a soldier say he could pray better while facing the rebel 
cannon's mouth. Thus we see that, when we are closely pressed 
and more fully feel our dependence upon God, the more earnestly 
we can pray. " So, I suppose, when the balls and shells fall thick 
around you, you draw nearer to God, and pray more fervently, 
than when all is peace ? " " Yes, chaplain, that 's so." 

"ARE YOU READY TO GO?" 

Although over three hundred thousand loyal patriots tasted 
death during the rebellion, yet many more have fallen since 



CHRISTIAXITY IN THE WAK. 213 

from wounds inflicted and diseases contracted during the war. 
To fight and die on the gory field, in putting down treason, even 
when crowned with victory, is hard. To get sick or wounded, 
and linger and suffer severely for months, and then die in the 
hospital, far away from friends and from home, is harder ; but 
to linger and suffer for years from wounds received, or diseases 
contracted in the service, and then die, seems harder still. Such 
was the fate of Samuel S. Brown, late member of the 3d Reg. 
Ohio Cavalry, Co. B, who entered the service of his country, 
January 1, 1864, and after enduring much hardness in Sherman's 
memorable campaign, contracted a severe cold at the long and 
bloody siege of Atlanta, through exposure to the weather, from 
the effects of Avhich he never recovered. Having served his 
country a little over a year, and being unable to serve longer, 
he was honorably discharged February 8, 1865, when he returned 
home to his father's house in Cardington, Ohio, where he spent 
the remainder of his days, and died February 14, 1868, aged 
twenty-three years and three months. Born and brought up by 
religious parents, he received a religious training, which seemed 
to have resulted in his conversion. Quiet and unassuming in his 
disposition, he was warmly attached and strongly devoted to his 
parents. Although he suffered long, he bore it all very patiently. 
Not a murmur was heard to fall from his lips. And when ap- 
jjroached by a brother upon the subject of religon, shortly before 
he died, he seemed calm and collected, and gave good evidence 
of being at peace with God. When asked, " Do you trust in 
Jesus ? " He replied, " Yes, and have for some time." " Would you 
be afraid to die ? " "No." " Are you ready to go ? " "Yes; and 
the sooner the better." " Tlie sooner the better f" " Yes ! " " How 
glorious the attainment ! Dying for your country, and dying in 
the Lord. Not only ready, but, like Paul, even longing to de- 
part. Waiting to hear the summons, ' Come up higher.' Wait- 
ing to bid farewell to this sinful world of troubles, conflict, and 
trials. Waiting to lay aside this vile body, to go and dwell with 
the ransomed of the Lord in heaven. To be ready to go \vhen 
your country calls to defend her honor, is glorious. To be ready to 
go when the command, " charge^'' is given in the heat of battle, is 



214 CHEISTIAXITY IX THE WAR. 

glorious. But to be ready to go, when it comes ours to die, is 
more glorious. Victory achieved over the enemy on the field 
of battle is glorious, but victory achieved over the last enemy, 
death, is the most glorious of all victories. To be able to face 
the king of terrors, gazing into the eternal world, and be able 
to say, ' O death, where is thy sting ? ' is the very acme of per- 
fection on earth." Mr. Brown lived but a short time after the 
above conversation, and during his last hours his voice was heard 
in prayer. He ye also ready. 

LITTLE LIZZIE'S LETTER. 

Philadelphia, April 17, ISCA. 

My Dear Soldier: — I send you a little Testament. I am 
a little girl seven years old. I want to do something for the 
soldiers who do so much for us ; so I have saved my pocket 
money to send you this. Although I have never seen you, I 
intend to begin to pray that God will make and keep you good. 
Oh, how sorry I am that you have to leave your dear mother. 
Did she cry when you bade her good-by? Don't you often 
think of her at night when you are going to bed? Do you 
kneel down and say your prayers ? If I were you, I would not 
care if the other soldiers did laugh : God will smile upon you. 
I am sorry, very sorry, that you are sick. I wish that I could 
go to nurse you. I could bathe your head, and read to you. Do 
you know the hymn, — 

" Tliere is a bappy land ? " 

I hope you will go to that land when you die. But remember, 
I will pray that you may get well again. 

When you are able to sit up, I wish you to write to me, and 
tell me all about your troubles. 

Enclosed you will find a postage-stamp. I lire at No. 

North Ninth Street, Philadelphia. Good-by. 

Your Friend, Lizzie S . 

Lizzie's letter and the Testament she sent proved the means 
of the soldier's salvation who received them. 

Nashville, Tenn., April 24, 1863. 

Dear Sister Lizzie : — I received your kind letter from 
Mr. C I. M. A beautiful present indeed, and I trust it will be 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 215 

one of the means of converting others, as well as the receiver. 
INIay God bless the giver. You have clone a good work. Con- 
tinue to pray, dear sister, and God will answer you. He says so 
in his word. 

My dear mother is in the grave. It is nearly eleven years 
since she died ; but she died happy ; and I trust I shall meet her 
in heaven. I will try and pray for myself. Have been in the 
hospital four months, but am now nearly well ; will be able to 
join my regiment to face the enemy ; and if I should fall on the 
battle-field, I may have the blessed assurance of meeting my 
Saviour in peace. 

Yes, " there is a happy land." May Ave meet in that happy 
land. I do not think that my fellow-soldiers will deter me from 
serving my Master. There are many others here that his Spirit 
is striving with. 

I expect to go home to see my dear friends once more. Am 
very thankful that the privilege is granted, and I trust we shall 
have a happy meeting. Dear Lizzie, I must close. May God 
bless you, is my prayer. Write me again. 

Address your friend, S. L. N., 

Fourth Mich. Cavalry, Nashville, Tenn. 



«' I PRAYED IN THE STREET.- 

" Man's extremity is God's opportunity." Coming to Christ i.s 
the sinner's last resort. Blinded by sin and deceived by Satan, 
man, lost, will go to a thousand refuges before he will flee to the 
safe one ; and it is only when he finds that all other refuges are, 
in the language of the prophet, " refuges of lies," that he flees to 
Christ, " the only stronghold." In canvassing the heart of Charles 
A. Morton, 7th N. H., Co, K, we found him much interested in 
religion, at our first interview. He seemed to be indulging a 
bright hope, and said he had been converted in a revival. He 
appeared to have been powerfully wrought upon by the Spirit ; 
and said he, " I became so earnestly engaged in seeking Christ, 
that I prayed in the street, and afterward I felt so diftercnt 
that I went home and told my wife," "When an anxious sinner 
is brought to feel his awful exposure to endless woe, and to realize 
his own helplessness and utter dependence upon God for salva- 
tion, it is perfectly natural and reasonable to fly to God in prayer 



216 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

immediately, even ' on the street/ or, like sinking Peter, ' on the 
water/ The interests involved are so vast, and the emergency is* 
so great, he can't wait ; he must pray ; he carv't help it ; and it 
is in just such emergencies as these that the most jjowerful and 
effectual prayers have been offered up. I suppose when you 
prayed in the street, you felt that you could not wait till you got 
home ? " " Yes ; I felt such a pressing necessity, that I could 
not wait." " Under that state of feeling, how easy, and, oh, what 
a great privilege, it is to pray ! How have you felt since?" "I 
feel much altered, and happy." "Regeneration is a great change 
— a change from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan 
unto God. In it, the old man is put off and the new put on ; 
old things pass away, and all things become new ; so that when a 
man undergoes it, he will ' feel much altered,^ as you say. And 
although many Christians can't tell the precise time, place, and 
circumstances of their conversion, yet they will know something 
about it. Others profess to know all about the circumstances, 
the time when and the place where the great change, wrought by 
God's Spirit, was brought about. And how can we know it ? 
Love to the brethren is one distinguishing mark. Hereby ' we 
know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love 
the brethren.' ' He that loveth not his brother, abideth in death.' 
Another evidence is secret prayer : 

'Prayer is the Christian's vital breath, 
The Christian's native air: 
His watchword at the gate of death: 
He enters heaven with prayer.' 

If a man has experienced a change of heart, he will feel so grate- 
ful to God that he will often repair to his closet, and thank the 
Lord for the great things he has done for him. David prayed 
three times a day. The Saviour prayed all night ; and it is said 
John Welch prayed eight hours out of twenty-four ; and that he 
would often rise at midnight and pour out his soul to God in 
prayer for the people of his congregation. How is it with you?" 
" I have been praying ever since my conversion. I pray that my 
arm may heal fast, and it does." " You seem to have strong faith 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 217 

in prayer ? " " Oh, yes, I believe God answers prayer. He says, 
' Seek, and ye shall find.' " 

"I LOVE EVERYBODY." 

It was on a beautiful evening, in the summer of 1865, in the 
U. S. General Hospital, near Fortress Monroe, Va., while making 
my daily calls with the patients, that I fell into an interesting 
conversation with R. Brown, of the 7th Regiment S. C. Cavalry, 
Co. F., confederate troops. He gave me a hearty welcome to 
his bedside, and we found him free to converse about religion 
and his own personal experience. He seemed to be a decided 
Christian, not only enjoying a well-grounded hope, but even full 
assurance of his acceptance with God; and, to use his own lan- 
guage, he said, " I know I have passed from death unto life." 

What a glorious attainment ! It is worth more than all things 
else. " How long have you been trying to serve the Lord ? " 
" Some fifteen years," he replied. Touching his love to Christ, 
he said, " I love everybody." " Would you be afraid to die ? " 
" No." " ' Perfect love casteth out fear.' ' Love is the ful- 
filling of the law.' ' Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy- 
self.' Do you love God's word ? " " Oh, yes," he said ; " I 
have read my Testament through thirty times in the army." 
"Do you find it difficult to live out religion in the army?" 
" No ; I can live as well in the army as out of it ? " " Christ, 
who is our strength, says, ' My grace is sufficient for thee ; ' hence 
he says, ' No evil shall touch thee.' With God's Spirit to guide 
us, and his everlasting arms beneath us, we have nothing to 
fear." I visited him frequently, and always found him prayer- 
ful, patient, and resigned. I heard net a murmur fall from his 
lips. He manifested a strong desire to see his wife. Administer- 
ing to him the consolations of the gospel, he lingered along, and 
died full of hope June 15, 1865. 

"I HAVE NO FEAR." 

In visiting the sick and wounded, we were daily cheered by 
the patience and heroism they manifested. We often found them 
not only resigned, but buoyant and jovial, with hearts glowing 
with courage and patriotism. At my first interview with John 



218 CQRISTIAXITY IN THE WAR. 

Lestur, 38th U.S., Co. T>, wc found him in patience possessing hi.-? 
soul ; and although severely wounded, he was jovial and lively 
as a cricket, and yet full of fight. In describing the hot fight 
near Chapin's Farm, close by Richmond, he said, " With my 
finger shot almost off, while going it at double quick, I pulled 
out my jack-knife, cut it off, threw it down, went on, loaded and 
fired eight or nine times while charging the fort near the above 
place." Eager for victory, he said, " With my bleeding hand, I 
mounted the fort, raised the stars and stripes, and fought on till 
I received a ball in my thigh, which brought me down." " Were 
you not afraid in such a warm fight ? " " No ; I trust in the 
I-iOrd, and I am not afraid." " You have the right remedy for 
fear." "What?" "Trust in the Lord — there is nothing equal 
to it. David said, when surrounded with hosts of enemies, 
' What time I am afraid, I will trust in God.' Faith as a shield 
is a sure defence against the wiles of the devil and all the fiery 
darts of the wicked." He said, " If I die, I believe Jesus will 
save me." " Would you not be afraid to make another such 
charge?" "Oh, no; I would cut off another finger under simi- 
lar circumstances. I came out to fight and, if need be, to die 
for God and my country. I have no fear." " No fear ? no fear 
of death ? " " No." " ' O death, where is thy sting ! Thanks be to 
God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.' " 
How grand the perfection to rise above all fear ! Said the cele- 
brated Robert Hall, in his dying hours, " I fear pain more than 
death ; " and he soon passed into glory, praying, " Come, Lord 
Jesus, come quickly." Dr. Taylor kissed the stake as he ap- 
pi'oached it, and in meek submission died, sealing the doctrine he 
taught with his own blood. At our next interview, John Lestur 
said, as I approached him, " Here I am, waiting on the Lord. 
Had not Jesus been nigh my side, I 'd have died when I got 
wounded." " Do you think Jesus saved you ? " " Yes ; I feel 
so." "Christ is a covert in the storm. The name of the Lord is 
a strong tower ; the righteous runneth therein, and they are safe. 
The Lord is as a wall of fire round about them that fear him. 
How does the Saviour appear to you to-day, John?" "He 
seems dear: Jesus is close by my side, and I am happy in him.'' 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 219 

" \Vliat sweet words ! Happy in Jesus ! To such there is no con- 
demnation. And you think you would be willing to lose another 
finger, ' in a pinch/ for your country ; aye, John ? " " Oh, yes ; 
the loss of fingers, legs, and lives is nothing to the loss of our 
country." Such courage and patriotic devotion deserves great 
j^raise. To see men cut off a finger, load and fire as they run, 
charging a rebel fort, shows great pluck and bravery. He got 
better, and was transferred North. 

SERGEANT JAMES TUSTISON. 

Fired with a lofty patriotism, James Tustison consecrated 
himself to the service of his country shortly after the outbreak 
of the rebellion. Though a native of Crawford County, Ohio, 
he moved to Iowa in 1854, and at his country's call enlisted as 
orderly sergeant of Capt. Holson's company, of the Tenth Reg. 
Iowa Volunteers, at Richmond, August 24, 1S61, and was mus- 
tered into the service, September 6, at Iowa City. And as the 
rebellion had not reached Iowa, his regiment was soon ordered to 
St. Louis, and before they had time to procure their uniforms 
there, they were ordered to Cape Girardeau, where they arrived 
October 2. Time rolled on, and as the rebellion spread itself, the 
noble-hearted sergeant met the enemy in a severe skirmish at 
Charleston, Mo.; and although he was so fortunate as to come 
out unhurt himself, two of his company Avere killed and several 
others wounded. At the close of the fall campaign, his regiment 
went into winter-quarters at Bird's Point, Mo., and the sergeant, 
being unaccustomed to camp life and that very unhealthy climate, 
was taken with a severe attack of diarrhoea early in February, 
1862. And although he had comfortable quarters, they were 
made more comfortable by the graceful presence of his kind, 
affectionate wife, Mrs. Tustison, who, with her characteristic 
tenderness, went all the way from home to see him, and carefully 
nursed him through all his sickness. Blessed with an early reli- 
gious training, he united with the Presbyterian Church when 
seventeen years of age, and by his consistent life was an orna- 
ment to the church, and adorned the doctrines of the crass. His 



220 CHRISTIAXITY IN THE WAR. 

disease assumed the chronic form, and he suffered severely, yet, 
sustained by an unseen Hand, he bore it all very patiently. Not 
a murmur was known to fall from his lips. Failing so rapidly, 
and despairing of his recovery, on application of his friends, he 
was examined by a board of physicians and honorably discharged 
from the service, and, accompanied with his faithful wife, he bid 
farewell to his regiment and started for home. On arriving at 
Mattoon, 111., he became so feeble he was unable to go any 
further, and they "j)ut up" at a hotel. Being a member 
of the Masonic fraternity, upon (his) making himself known to 
tli^e lodge of that place, they kindly assisted in taking care of 
him. The Rev. Mr. McFarlan and Dr. Bridges were especially 
attentive in administering to his wants ; yet, with all their 
attention, he grew worse. A few days before his departure he 
became delirious, but on the evening ere he expired, his reason 
was restored, and he awoke from his unconscious state, wrapped 
in the sweet smiles of his heavenly Father. As the struggle 
of death came on, and fully conscious of the approach of " the 
last enemy," sustained by Him who " hath abolished death," he 
said, calm and undismayed, 

"l AM DYING, BUT I AM VERY HAPPY ! " 

And filled with filial affection in his last moments, his thoughts 
fly home to his mother, and wishing to leave her a word of com- 
fort, the dying soldier said, among his last words, " Tell my 
mother that, when dying, my trust was in Christ." 

Lingering uniil the afternoon of March 27, 1862, the wheel 
at the cistern stood still, and in the thirtieth year of his age, in 
the presence of his weeping wife and brother, his blood-washed 
soul left its clay tenement, and went, we trust, home to swell the 
ranks of the redeemed in heaven. How sublime suoh a death — 
dying for his country, and dying in the Lord ! How consoling 
to his bereaved wife and friends ! Though your loss is heavy 
and your affliction severe, yet, if you will listen, you will hear 
the soothing voice of the good Shepherd saying unto you, 
" Weep not ;" " be of good cheer." " Let not your heart be trou- 
bled, for all is well." " Be ye also ready ! " 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 221 



"I HAVE GOT IT." 

Having preached in Avard twenty-three, as I was passing up 
the aisle, Thomas Warren, 199th Pa., Co. D, being under deep 
anxiety of mind, called me to him, and said, " I want to get reli- 
gion, and I want you to pray for me." He seemed to be very 
anxious, and on telling him of the goodness of God and the 
eomjmssion of Jesus, and of his ability and willingness to save, 
and urging him to repent and pray, he began to pray, and cried, 
" Lord, have mercy on me ! Cast me not off! O Saviour, take 
me now — just as I am ! " and, weeping profusely, and praying 
with intense earnestness, he exclaimed, " Oh, if I had only reli- 
gion noio ! " He said he had been swearing, but now seemed 
deeply penitent. Urging him to look to Jesus, I left him all 
stirred up. His severe wound became gangrened, and he was 
taken to the Gangrene Camp ; and, calling upon him there soon 
after, he exclaimed, " I have got it ! / have got it ! " and clap- 
ping his hands, shouted, " Glory to God ! glory to God ! hallelu- 
jah ! " Several gathered in to see him. He said, " I feel light ; 
a great burden has rolled off of me." Upon my next call, he 
seemed very much changed ; he prayed and Avept much. When 
I left, he was improving. 

SATAN REPULSED BY PRAYER. 

We found Charles Williams, 5th U. S., Co. C, at the first, 
prayerful, humble, penitent, anxious, crying like the trembling 
jailer, " What must I do to be saved ! " " When did you 
begin to pray ? " " Since I got wounded." " How do you feel 
on the subject of religion?" "I feel that I am a great sinner; 
and I am afraid I won't get through. The devil came and told 
me I would be lost, if I do trust in Christ." " Yes ; but the 
devil is a liar, and you must not believe a word he says, nor 
indulge a thought he suggests. Mother Eve believed the devil 
and disbelieved God, and fell. Do you believe the devil?" 
" No ; when he tempted me I called on the Lord, and he went 
away." " So you repulsed the devil with prayer ? " " Yes, he 



222 CIIRISTIAXITY IN THE WAR. ; 

1 

left me." " That proves the great power of prayer. You will 
always find it true, ' resist the devil, and he will flee from you.' " 
Calling upon him again, we found him indulging a strong hope ; 
and I said to him, " Do you think you are a Christian ?" " Yes; 
I believe God has converted my soul ; and I expect my wife won't 
know me when I go home, I will be so chano;ed." " Was it 
your wound that led you to pray, which has resulted in your 
hopeful conversion ? " " Yes, I believe it was." " A stroke of 
lightning led to the conversion of Martin Luther, and no doubt 
the stroke of balls and shells has led to the conversion of many a 
soldier. Think you could die happy ? " " Yes ; I feel that I 
could." '• Be faithful. Stand up for the flag, and cling to the 
cross ! " 

"HELL SEEMS TO BE GAPING FOR ME!" 

Exclaimed Jacob Mullincup, 13th Ind., Co. D, as he related 
his religious experience. He seemed to be very anxious and 
tender, but said he, " I have not followed Christ ; but I want 
you to pray for me," weeping profusely. " Jesus Christ came 
into the world to save sinners, and died for the ungodly, just 
such as you are. He is mighty to save ; able and willing to save, 
even unto the uttermost. His blood cleanseth from all sin : 
' Look, and live !' " It was on December 4, 1864, I visited him 
again at five p.m., and found him writhing with a deep sense of 
his sins. " You seemed to have lived a wicked life ? " " Yes ; 
I have sworn, and done everything that 's bad ; and my mother 
brought me up good." " Have you ever been troubled with 
skepticism?" "Yes; but there can't but be another world." 
"Why, what makes you think so?" "Not only because God 
reveals it, but because I feel such a load of guilt upon my con- 
science." " Do you really feel your sins to be so great ? " " Yes, 
I do. Oh, my sins ! my sins ! hell seems to be gaping for me ! 
Oh, chaplain, what will I do?" "Just throw yourself right 
into the arms of Jesus, and cry for mercy, and he will save you. 
Pray, like the thief on the cross, ' Jesus, Lord, remember me ; ' 
pray, like the blind beggar, * Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy 
on me ! ' What are you going to do with your sins ; how do you 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 223 

expect to get rid of them ? " "I dou't know. I try to pray, and 
trust in the Lord, but my heart is so hard : I know God is able to 
save me, but I am so faithless." "Jesus is the only sin-bearer ; he 
hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows : only believe, and he 
will wash your soul and cleanse your hard heart. Do you feel sorry 
for your sins? " " Oh, yes ; very sorry." " If you repent, God 
will forgive. ' Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unright- 
eous man his thoughts : and let him return unto the Lord, and 
he will have mercy upon him ; and to our God, for he will 
abundantly pardon.' Jesus is here, full of pity, love, and 
power, knocking at the very door of your heart, crying, ' Come 
unto me, and I will give you rest ! ' May God bless you." 



"I AM HAPPY IN THE LORD!" 

I visited James Reed, 188tli Pa., Co. D, very often, and at 
first he manifested some interest in religion, but gave no satisfac- 
tory evidence of piety. He was badly wounded in the knee, and 
suifered long and very severe. Lying so long on his back, he had 
very bad bed-sores. I preached, read, and prayed with him very 
often, ^nd he appreciated it highly. He would say, " Come and 
see me often, chaplain." He became concerned about his salva- 
tion, and gave himself unto prayer. Several days before his 
death, he seemed to undergo a great change. On the evening 
of November 27, he was much engaged in prayer, and said, 
" The Saviour was dear and precious." He seemed to long for 
heaven, and said, " I feel prepared to go, and am not afraid to 
die. I pray and hope to meet my father, mother, brothers, and 
sisters in heaven." He had two books, and said, " Give one to 
my sister Nancy, and the other to Mary," and again engaged in 
earnest prayer. November 30th : He prayed fervently to-night. 
I read and prayed with him, and sung, 

" I am going home, to die no more ! " 

The doctor had given him up some time. He lingered with 
much pain till December 1st, and death closed the solemn scene. 



224 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

Dying for his country and, we trust, dying in Christ, he said, 
" I am happy in the Lord. To die is gain ; to depart is far 
better." 

CONVERTED IN THE ARMY THROUGH SIN, 

At my first interview with Edward Burnett, 118th N. Y., 
Co. G, he seemed to be an humble, prayerful Christian. Said 
he had been -converted in the army from seeing so much sin and 
wickedness, and seeing so many dying soldiers. " Sin led you to 
forsake sin, did it ? " " Yes ; hearing so much profanity, and 
seeing so much wickedness, led me to consider my ways, and led 
me to seek God in prayer, which has resulted in my conversion." 
" How do your sins appear to you now ? " " They seem very 
great; but I believe God has forgiven them all." He had a 
very deep sense of his sins, and gave bright evidence of being a 
regenerated man. God often brings good out of evil ; but this 
is an unusual case. Such heights of wickedness and streams of 
profanity, as were common during the war, were enough to alarm 
the most thoughtless. God's ways are not our ways. He can 
make one word of truth, the minie-ball, the lightning's flash, and 
the sinner's sin, result in the conversion of sinners. The wrath 
of man shall praise him. Edward grew worse, and died I^ovem- 
ber 25, 1864, full of hope. 

* 

"DO YOU TRUST IN THE LORD?" "NO," 

Said Benjamin E. Tilton, as we tried to urge him to re- 
pentance. " Do you pray ? " " No." " Do you swear ? " "Yes, 
occasionally." " No prayers, no faith, no Saviour, and shot 
through the mouth, and scarcely able to speak : what a dark 
picture ! How glorious to die for your country ! how awful to 
die, and be lost ! What mean these daily deaths around you ? 
It is the voice of Jesus, warning you to prepare to meet thy 
God : you must turn or burn ; believe or be lost ! Oh, then, go 
to Bethlehem ; go to Gethsemane ; go to Calvary, and there be- 
hold the Lamb of God praying, bleeding, dying, that you might 
live ! Just think of the matchless love of Christ in exchang-ins 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 225 

the glories of heaven for the agonies of the cross, that we, un- 
worthy sinners, might have eternal life. Think of the prayers 
and tears of an anxious mother for your salvation, and will you 
let it all be in vain?" " I trust not!" "Your creed, 'I trust 
not,' is not enough ; it will not save you : no, it is quite too 
scanty to carry you to heaven. Paul's creed delivered to the 
trembling jailer was short, plain, and orthodox ; but it was very 
comprehensive — a creed which, if heartily received, will carry 
you safely through the shock of battle; through all the firC; 
temptations, trials, and storms of life, and finally give you a 
triumphant death, and take you safely home to heaven," " What 
is it ? " " ' Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be 
saved.' There it is. Do you understand it? It is the very 
thing you need : it is the Bible and the plan of salvation in a 
nutshell. With Christ for its object, and salvation for its end, 
it will just suit you. To benefit you, you must receive it by 
faith. It is the only thing for those who have ' no Saviour,' and 
no prayers. Only believe, and you have nothing to fear." " Yes ; 
but what is faith ? " " Faith is to the Christian what courage is 
to the soldier.'' " What ? " " That which always carries him 
through. Faith is letting go of all things else and laying hold 
of Jestis, and clinging to the cross with all your heart. Let me 
illustrate it for you. There is a man away down in a well, with 
his satchel of valuables and gold ; he can't get out himself, and 
therefore cries for help. Two men passing by with a rope, heard 
him, and ran to his relief. ' Can't you climb up and get out?' 
'No; I have nothing to catch hold of.' 'Can't you get a foot- 
hold on the stones in the wall of the well?' ' No; it is all too 
smooth, and the water is deep, and I have nothing to stand on.' 
' Nothing to stand on ? ' ' No.' Just like the sinner without 
Christ — building without a foundation, and nothing to stand on. 
' Can't you touch the bottom ? ' ' Oh, no ; the water is dee}), 
and I am* afraid I will lose my satchel. Oh, DO lift me out! 
I am almost out of breath, and I can't keep up much longer. If 
not soon saved, I am gone forever. And will you let me drown ?' 
'No; here is a rope: now you grasp it firmly with both hands.' 
'With both hands?' ' Yes.' ' But what will I do with my satchel ?' 
15 



226 CHKISTIAXITY IN THE WAR. 

' Why, let it go ; let it go quick, and grasp the rope with both 
hands with all your might, or we will let you sink and be 
drowned.' He grasped the rope with one hand, clinging to the 
satchel with the other. The men gave a strong pull ; but the poor 
worldling, having reached about half-way up, let go, and down 
he went again into the water, deeper than ever. ' There ! he 's 
gone ! ' exclaimed one man to the other. ' Stoj) ! wait : let 's see if 
he won't come up again ! ' Presently he rises again, just ready to 
perish, exclaiming ' Lord have mercy on me ! God be merciful 
to me a sinner ! Oh, bretliren M^ill you let me drown?' And 
again they letdown the rope, beseeching him to drop his satchel, 
and grasp the rope with all his might with both hands. He did 
so. They gave another pull, and up came the drowning man, 
saved at last.' This, Benjamin, is an illustration of fiiith. It 
implies two things: first, letting go of the world, and, second, 
laying hold of Jesus. Do you see it, Benjamin ? " " Yes, I 
believe I do." "Will you try it?" "I will." "May God 
help and bless you." 

"URGE HIM TO COME TO JESUS." 

John Goff, 142d N. Y., Co, D, though rather careless at first, 
soon became interested, and enjoyed religious services very much. 
At our next interview, though somewhat anxious, he said, " I don't 
think I am a Christian, but would like to be one." Ajiparently 
penitent and prayerful, he repeatedly said, "God bless me." 
AVith a very severe wound in the left arm, and increasing in anx- 
iety about his salvation, he seemed to enjoy my visits very much, 
and would usually exclaim on my entering his tent, " God bless 
you, chaplain ; God bless you. Oh, how glad I am that you 
have come." He appeared to grow in grace, and several days 
ere he died he said he loved the Saviour ; that he had been con- 
verted in the hospital, and that he felt a deep concern for his 
unconverted brother. He suffered long and severely, and seemed 
to be an humble, sincere Christian. When I wrote a letter to 
his brother, he said to me, " Urge him to come to Jesus." Deep 
concern for the salvation of others is an evidence of the gracious 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 227 

State. He seemed very happy, and his oft-repeated prayer was 
" God bless me ; God bless me." If every man urged his brother 
to come to Jesus, there would not be so many without hope. 
Reading and praying with him very often, he lingered a long 
while, and fell with the autumn leaf in 1864. To depart is far 
better. 

"THANK GOD FOR MY WOUND," 

Said Miles James, Corporal, Co. B, 36th U. S., colored, as 
he related his religious experience. He was a backslidden 
^lethodist, yet, with his left arm off near the shoulder, he was 
very grateful for liberty ; full of fight, full of courage, and with 
a heart burning with heroic patriotism, he was lively and rich 
in conversation. Sprightly, and hot with zeal to quell the re- 
bellion, he seemed to " glory in tribulation," exclaiming, as his 
heart seemed to glow with gratitude, " Thank God, thank God, 
THANK God for my wound ! It has brought me nearer to God, 
and knocked the feeling of revenge out of me. Before it, I 
would have killed a rebel on his knees before me, but now I 
would take him prisoner. Before it, I would cry, ' Fort Pillow, 
and let 'em have it,' but now I would spare 'em. My wound has 
brought me nearer to God, and I thank him for it. Before it, I 
was full of revenge against the rebels, but this wound has taken 
it away. I praise the Lord for it. I feel very happy lying here 
on my bed. Oh, I am so happy ! But if I get well, I will go 
and fight again." This was on October 11, 1864. At another 
interview, he said, " My wound has brought me to the point." 
" Brought you to the point, aye ? " "Yes." "What point?" 
" Why, to the point of repentance and contrition ; it has brought 
me, chaplain, to the foot of the cross." " Then stick to it, James. 
By all means stick to it. It is sticking to the point and clinging 
to the cross that makes us happy even under the most adverse and 
trying circumstances. Daniel, when surrounded with hosts of 
fierce enemies, said, ' My soul is among lions ; ' yet, with his heart 
stayed and fixed upon God, he was happy in prayer and praise. 
Cranmer, brought to the point, with his heart stayed and fixed 
upon God, because he had subscribed to popery, when at the 



228 CHEISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

stake, held his unworthy hand in the flames till it was burned 
to a cinder, before his body was scorched, exclaiming, 'This 
hand, this unworthy right hand.' There he hung, apparently 
insensible of pain, praying, ' Lord Jesus, receive my spirit,' until 
the flames choked his utterance. How glorious, James, to see 
you so happy, with your arm riven from your body, that not one 
star should be riven from the dear old flag. Fight on, James, 
for God and the country, and the Lord will reward you. Do 
}'ou pray much ? " " Yes ; I prays very often. It is very good 
to pray." " Do you like to hear the gospel ?" " Yes ; I liked 
to jump out of my bed when you preached to us last Sunday 
night." " Pray on, James. Be earnest ; stick to the point and 
cling to the cross, and Jesus will at last raise you to his throne." 

SERGEANT DWIGHT KNEELAND. 

Sergeant Dwight Kneeland, of the Signal Corps, U. S. A., 
was brought to the hospital, in Feb. 1865, from near Petersburg, 
Va. Worn out by nearly three years' service in his country's 
cause, he was very much reduced in flesh, and sinking with con- 
sumption. Pale, tall, slender, and well dressed, he presented a 
dignified, genteel appearance when he entered the ward. He 
lingered along for several days with but little perceptible change, 
yet failing gradually. On approaching him on the subject -of 
religion, we found him rather careless, yet not entirely indiffer- 
ent. Says he, " I have been a great sinner." But he soon gave 
signs of concern for his salvation, and became somewhat penitent 
and prayerful. God worked in him, and on our next interview 
we found him more deeply concerned, and praying in the lan- 
guage of the publican, " God be merciful to me a sinner." The 
Spirit strove with him, and, becoming more resigned and con- 
trite, he prayed, " Not my will, but God's, be done." This was 
on February 26, 1865. I preached to him and his ward on the 
Sabbath, from the Saviour's compassionate words, Matt, xxiii. 37. 
It was his last sermon, and he listened very attentively. Time 
fled, life ebbed away, and three days after, conscious of approach- 
ing death, he said, in the language of the immortal Braiuard, — 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 229 

" MY WORK IS DONE ! 

I am going to die ; I don't want to live ; I feel prepared to go. 
Tell my father, ' I die happy, and that I bid them all farewell ! 
Send my things home to him.' " Thoughtful and faithful to his 
country and to his trust, he requested us to burn his Signal-Book, 
lest secrets might be revealed ; and we burned it in the stove. 
On approaching him the next evening, he seemed better ; and, 
after reading to him the Saviour's consoling words (John xiv.), 
and praying with him, we bade him " good-night," expecting to 
visit him early next morning. But on entering the Avard, we 
found that he had finished his course, and his place in the ward 
was made vacant ! Gone from time to eternity ; gone, we trust, 
from earth to heaven, to join the redeemed, blood-washed throng, 
where there will be no more war, no more death, neither sorrow 
nor crying. We saw him next in the dead-house. Patient in 
all his sufferings, he uttered not a murmuring word. Resigned, 
and with his work done, and, we trust, prepared to die, his quiet 
departure seemed to say, "To die is gain; thanks be to God, 
which giveth ug the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ ! " 
He died March 1, 1865. His mortal remains were taken home 
to Connecticut. 

"DIED CALLING FOR THE CHAPLAIN." 

At our first interview with John H. Dunham, 117th N. Y., 
Co. D, we found him careless, and rather indifferent about reli- 
gion. " Do you pray ? " " Not much. I feel a little sorry for 
my sins at times ; but it soon passes away like the wind." This 
was on November 10, 1864. I preached to him and prayed for 
him, and commended him to God, and urged him to fly to Jesus. 
" You may get well, but life is very uncertain. How sad the 
thought to see a brave soldier lose his limb, and shed his blood, 
and die for his country, and die and be lost ! Oh, then, let me 
beseech you, repent, repent ! Let the loss of your leg be a call 
from God to repent, and seek the salvation of your soul. Only 
think of the goodness of God in sparing your life ; giving you 
stime to repent, while many others fell dead without a moment's 



230 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

warning ! Look to the cross ; look to Jesus ; behold him in 
Gethsemane ; see how he pleads, agonizes, and sweats as it were 
great drops of blood falling down to the ground, for our salva- 
tion ! Behold him hanging upon Calvary, groaning, bleeding, 
and dying that ignominious death, that you might live and enjoy 
eternal life ! How wonderful the scene : the earth quakes ; the 
rocks rend ; the graves open ; the dead rise ; and the sun refuses 
to shine before the awful grandeur of the solemn scene ! And 
for whom, and for what did he suffer all this ? It was for us, 
])Oor sinners, who have rebelled against him ; it was for you ! 
It was to make an atonement for sin, that you might enjoy for- 
giveness and eternal life ! You have shed your blood for the 
salvation of your country, Jesus shed his for the salvation of 
the soul ; you die for his friends, Jesus died for his enemies. 
Oh, John, just think of his matchless love, and be no longer 
impenitent! Does his compassion move you? does not the 
very thought of these things touch your heart ? " " Yes, chap- 
lain, they do ; but my heart is so hard, I can't feel my sins for- 
given." " Do you feel sorry for your sins?" "Yes, I do; but 
not as I ought." " Would you not like to be a Christian ? " 
" Oh, yes, I would ; but my heart is so hard." " Yes, but Jesus 
can soften and change it." " Can't you trust him ? " "I will 
try." " He is able, willing, mighty to save ! Just forsake 
sin, and let go self, and throw yourself right into the arms of 
Jesus, and he will save you. Only ' believe on the Lord Jesus 
Christ, and thou shalt be saved.' Pray, pray, like the publican, 
' God be merciful to me a sinner ! ' Pray, like sinking Peter, 
' Lord, save me ! ' and just come to Jesus now, just as you are, 
and salvation is sure." Calling on him again in a few days, we 
found him indulging a hope, and said, " He thought he would 
not be afraid to die, and that he could die happy." He grew 
worse, and died November 18, 1864, exclaiming, " Where is the 
chaplain ? " Patients often called for the chaplain at the ap- 
proach of death. 



^ 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 231 

"JUST AS GOD WISHES." 

It was on a cold, cloudy day in November, with the whistling 
wind whirling around the patient's narrow bed, when we ap- 
proached Wm. Brown, Co. I, 117th N. Y., lying quite low with 
a severe wound in the leg. But upon canvassing his heart, Ave 
found him, though weak in body, strong in faith, clinging to the 
cross, with bright prospects of a glorious immortality beyond the 
grave. Resigned and submissive, he said, " Though life is sweet, 
I am not afraid to die. I can say, God's will be done. Just as 
he wishes." " How precious the attainment ! Just as God wishes, 
whether I live or die. I suppose you feel very happy ? " " Oh, 
yes ; I am happy. To die is gain." " Have you any doubts 
about your salvation ? " " No ; I knoiv in whom I have believed, 
and am persuaded that he will grant me a seat at his right hand 
at the last day." Lying in tlie arms of Jesus, he seemed to say, 
with Paul, "I am now ready. I have fought a good fight, I 
have finished my course, I have kept the faith : henceforth there 
is laid up for me a crown of righteousness." Oh, how sublime 
the consummation ! How glorious the victory ! willing to die for 
your country, and just waiting to die in the Lord. Just waiting 
to drop the garment of mortality and be clothed with a glorious 
immortality. Lingering till December 10, 1864, God gave the 
word, and said, " Come up higher," and, robed in white, doubt- 
less he went home to glory. " Be ye also ready, for in such an 
hour as ye think not, the Son of man cometh." 

"TELL MY MOTHER I DIED HAPPY," 

Said Lorenzo D. Steward, 11th Me., Co. K, as we were 
canvassing his tender heart. It was his dying message to an 
affectionate mother. He freely confessed his waywardness in 
the army; but at our first interview seemed quite penitent and 
anxious about his salvation. " I would like to be saved," he 
said, " and meet my Father in heaven." "Seeing you are so 
anxious about salvation, I hope you have correct views of the 
way to be saved." " I trust I have, sir." " What must we do to 



232 CHRISTIANITY IN THE AVAR. . 

be saved?" "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ." "Yes, that's 
it. Salvation is free. Yes, free as the air we breatlie. God says, 
* Look and live.' Do you feel sorry for your sins ? " "I trust I 
do." " How does the Saviour appear to you ? " " He appears 
dear and precious." "Think you love Jesus?" "I believe I 
do." " Love is the principal thing. ' Love is the fulfilling of 
the law.' Love to Christ is the essence and the very core of 
Christianity. We may say our prayers, shed our tears, make the 
loudest professions, unite with the church, go to the Lord's table, 
bestow all our goods to feed the poor, die for our country, and 
give our bodies to be burned, yet without love to Christ, we are 
as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal; yea, 'we are nothing J' 
The great, heart-searching question the Saviour put to Peter, 
was, ' Lovest thou me ? ' The question is not do you love your 
wife, children, parents, or sister. It is not do you love your coun- 
try ? No; it is higher, purer, holier, and more important far than 
all these. It is do you love the Saviour ? Nothing but supreme 
love to God will ever raise the soul to heaven. The question is 
not do you profess to love. It is not do you hope or expect to 
love. No; but do you love now? Think you can answer the 
question as did weeping Peter? 'Yea, Lord, thou knowest that 
I love thee.' " " I believe I can." " Do you feel the love of 
Christ constraining you?" "Yes; it seems to draw me nearer 
and nearer unto him. Oh, the love of Christ ! Oh, the love of 
Christ ! How vast ! how great and powerful ! Hoav precious 
is Jesus to my soul. I feel so happy. I have no fear of death. 
I believe to die will be gain, and to depart will be far better." 
Outriding the storms of life till November 28, 1864, the silver 
cord was broken, and, with his soul washed in Christ's blood, 
he went, we trust, home to heaven. " Blessed are the dead who 
die in the Lord." 

"IT IS EASIER TO SERVE SATAN." 

Upon entering a ward of colored patients, one day, and while 
canvassing the heart of Charles Pearson, 22d U. S., Co. H, col- 
ored, and finding that he was still " out of the way," I asked 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 233 

him why he chose to serve Satan ? He promptly replied, " It 
is easier." "Easier? What! is the devil an easier master than the 
Saviour? is the service of him who walketh about as a roaring 
lion, seeking whom he may devour, easier than the service of 
Him who came from heaven to earth to seek, suffer, bleed, and 
die to save? is 'the snare of the devil' easier than the cross of 
Christ? is the road to hell easier than the road to heaven? is it 
easier, Charles ? " " It is easier, chaplain, till you get in the 
right way." "It is always easier to swim down stream than to 
swim up against a strong current. Lost by the fall, blinded by 
sin, led captive and deceived by Satan, to the unrenewed to serve 
him is more natural and easy, although Christ's yoke is far easier 
and his burden far lighter. Yet Satan is a hard master. Contrast 
him with Christ : Satan is a liar, Christ is ' the truth ;' Christ 
was always a Saviour, but the devil was always a murderer ; 
Satan seeks to destroy, Christ to save ; Satan will lead you down 
to hell, Christ will lead you up to heaven ! Oh, then, choose ye 
this day whom ye will serve ! Cut loose from the world, divorce 
thyself from Satan, let go self, escape for thy life, fly, fly to 
Jesus ; look and live ; believe and be saved ! Sin hath its 
pleasures, but 'at the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like 
an adder.' Look to God for strength ; go forward in Christ's 
name ; and if Satan assaults you, charge against him with the 
sword of the Spirit, and you will always put him to flight. 
But to triumph over the devil • is not enough. To be safe, you 
must embrace Christ. Only enlist under his banner, and you will 
find his yoke easy and his burden light. In his presence there 
is fulness of joy, and at his right hand there are pleasures for- 
evermore." 

"I AM BETTER IN THE ARMY THAN AT HOME." 

Notwithstanding the distressing apprehensions and the awful 
forebodings entertained by some patriotic mothers at home, -vvhen 
their sons entered the service of their country, dreading the con- 
taminating and corrupting influences of the army, and greatly 
fearing lest they would come home " spoiled and ruined," they 



234 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 

almost refused to let tliem go ; yet we fiud that the army was not 
such a great demoralizer after all. At the close of the war, 
one million of soldiers go home, receiving the most hearty wel- 
come, accompanied with sumptuous dinners and the most enthu- 
siastic demonstrations of joy upon their safe return, and the 
glorious victory they achieved. And each one going to his 
res^iective home, again enjoys and mingles with his old surviving 
friends, exerting his influence upon them, and still the moral 
stamina of society does not seem to have diminished. It is true 
some became worse, but many were made better by army life. 
The fact is, the religious interest in the army, in many places, was 
far greater than ordinarily at home. Henc6 we not unfrequently 
hear soldiers express themselves as did ISIarquis Davis, 118th 
N. Y., Co. A, " I am better in the army than at home," as we 
talked about the trials, deprivations, and temptations of army 
life. Said he, " I have quit swearing in the army. I pray daily ; 
all my trust is in God; and the Saviour is dear and precious." 
" Pretty well for the army. Marquis ! Better here than at home ? " 
'• Yes ; I have quit swearing, and tried to reform and do better." 
" Think you have been converted in the army ? " " I hope so ; 
but the evidences are not quite as bright as I would like." 
" You have some doubts, eh ! " " Yes ; but I have a strong, 
abiding hope." " Jesus says, ' Come unto me, and I will give 
you rest.' Just go to God with your case, and make a full, com- 
plete surrender of yourself to him who gave himself for you, 
and all will be well. Ask God for brighter evidences, and he 
will give it. ' Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.' Thomas 
had doubts, and said, ' Except I shall see in his hands the print 
of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. 
And Jesus said unto him, reach hither thy hand, and behold my 
hands ; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side ; and 
be no longer faithless, but believing.' And Thomas answered 
and said unto him, ' My Lord and my God ! ' His doubts were 
removed by looking to Christ. Thomas looked with the natural 
eye ; but if you only will look with the eye of faith, Jesus will 
remove your doubts, and you will be enabled to say, ' My Lord 
and my God ! ' Many good Christians at times have doubts ; 




UNCLE JACOB. 



CHKISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 235 

vet it is the believer's privilege to rise above them, and say, with 
Job, ' I know that my Redeemer liveth.' Pray on, brother ; 
strive to grow in grace ; ' go on unto perfection,' until you shall 
be made complete in Christ and filled with all the fulness of 
God. If you will only be earnest and faithful, army life will 
tend to help you on to God. The shock of battle, the stare of 
death's grim visage, the dreadful carnage, the groans of the 
wounded and dying, and dear comrades falling around you, to- 
gether with the stern realities of eternity rising in full view, and 
the solemn thought, ' I don't know how soon it may be my turn 
to fall,' are all well calculated to quicken and arouse the most 
thoughtless sinner. Hence we feel like saying, that doubtless 
many have been converted in the army who never would have 
been reached at home. God has his own way of doing his own 
work." 

WILLIAM J. JOHNSON, 142]) N. Y., CO. D., 

Was severely wounded during the last year of the war, and 
brought to Hampton Hospital, and put in a tent, ward number 
twenty-three. Shot through the left breast, the ball passing- 
through the lungs, he lay for several months upon his back, and 
suffered severely. William was a kind, good boy, and highly 
esteemed by all who knew him. Genteel, patient, and neat in 
his person and manners, everything about him was calculated to 
win : he was a particular favorite of the matron and ward-master. 
On approaching him on the subject of religion, he said, " God 
has done great things for me." " What has he done for you ? " 
" I hope he has forgiven my sins ; and I believe he will save me. 
I put my trust in him, and hope and pray he will raise me." 
" If you will only trust in God, and believe on the Lord Jesus 
Christ, your salvation is sure. Salvation is free and ready, and 
offered without money and without price, upon the conditions 
of faith and repentance." " Do you feel sorry for your sins ? " 
" I trust I do." " God says, ' Except ye repent, ye shall all 
likewise perish.' We must all turn or die, believe or be lost." 
We visited him very often, reading and praying in his tent, 
urging him to give his heart to God, and cling to the cross. 



236 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

Brave and patriotic, William bore all his suiferings like a young 
hero. Patient and resigned, he was always cheerful and happy. 
Although other patients died around him, William lived on, 
notwithstanding his severe, dangerous wound, always lively and 
hopeful. We left him getting better. 

"ALL IS WELL." 

" Well, William, how are you to-day ? " "I feel tolerably 
well to-day, chaplain." " Gaining a little, eh ? " " Yes, a little." 
" How are you spiritually ? Are you soldiering for Christ as 
well as for your country?" "I don't know : I have lived rather 
a careless life ; but I feel somewhat interested in religion now." 
I visited him very often, and preached, talked to and prayed 
with him, and he enjoyed it very much. Though a non-professor, 
he seemed now, March 20, 1865, on my second visit, to be in- 
dulging a good hope. On my approaching him, he wept, and, 
raising his frail hand, grasped mine most heartily, and appeared 
to be very happy, and said, " I feel that I could fly away to 
Jesus." As he saw and felt death approaching, he said, " This 
{i. e. approaching death,) will fetch 'em." " Fetch who ? " " Fetch 
sinners to repentance." " Yes, the approach of ' the king of ter- 
rors' often brings men to their feelings, and makes them think 
and feel very differently from what they had ever done before. 
I suppose, as you feel as though you could fly away to Jesus, 
that you are very happy?" " Yes," he said, with deep emotions, 
" I feel happy in the Lord." Lingering along till jNIarch 25, his 
mortal machinery gave way, and with the dying, consoling words 
"All is Avell ! " he left this sublunary world, and went, we trust, 
to dwell with the sanctified above. His name was William F. 
Smith, 7th Conn., Co. D. How consoling to surviving friends, 
to die with the happy, " All is well " on the lips ! " To depart 
is far better." 

"OLD JACOB," THE GRAVE-i)IGGER. 

" It takes all sorts of people to make a world," and although 
" God hath made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 237 

all the face of the earth," yet he has made every man with his 
peculiar traits and peculiar fitness for some particular position in 
life. Some are born to rule, others to obey. Some to wield the 
sword, others the pen. Some to fight and make war, others to 
reconcile and make peace. When God was about to publish the 
moral law, and deliver the captive hosts of Israel from Egyptian 
bondage, he raised up a Moses well fitted for the great work. 
When a new world was to be discovered, God raised up a 
Columbus to search and find it. When the gospel was to 
be sent to the Gentile world, a learned Paul, armed with the 
panoply of heaven, and with a heart burning with zeal, was raised 
np, thoroughly furnished for the great and arduous work. When 
4,000,000 of slaves were to be emancipated, an Abraham Lin- 
coln steps upon the political arena, walks into the presidential 
chair, and with a stroke of the pen cuts their bonds asunder. 
When Dr. Eli McClellan, assistant surgeon of the U. S. A., 
and surgeon in charge of the U. S. Gen. Hospital, Fortress Mon- 
roe, Va., noted for his executive ability, wanted a man to super- 
intend the digging of graves for the departed soldiers, he made 
a wise choice in the selection of " Old Jacob," of Hampton, Va. 
With four or five other colored men, under his care, he was en- 
trusted with this laborious work. Always known by the familiar 
name, " Old Jacob," I never learned his proper name. But judg- 
ing from his history and from his appearance, his frank, open 
countenance, the simplicity of his manners, his meek disposition, 
and marked piety, we suppose he possessed many of the distin- 
guished traits that characterized Jacob of old. At the burying 
of the soldiers, he always behaved with marked reverence and 
propriety. With his hoary head bared, with his spade in one 
liand and hat in the other, he always listened to the funeral ser- 
vices with profound attention, and, judging from liis deep sighs 
and profuse tears, he was evidently very deeply impressed with 
the solemn scene. There was something noble and prepossessing 
in his appearance. In fact, he possessed so many marked features 
and striking traits of character, that the distinguished Abbott, 
in getting up illustrations, and in preparing a lengthy article on 
the hospital, for Harpers' Monthly INIagazine, put in his portrait, 



» 



238 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

accompanied with a brief sketch of his life. If you look in the 
August Number of 1864, you will see "Old Jacob," natural as 
life, with his big white eye, broad-brimmed hat, with his spade 
in hand, standing beside a soldier's grave, in the soldiers' grave- 
yard at Hampton, Va. Besides digging graves, and burying 
the dead, he had the supervision of exhuming the dead to be 
sent home. And so great was the pressure in this unpleasant, 
sickly work, in the fall of 1864, that "Old Jacob" worked himself 
to death. At least he got sick, and died December 4, 1864, at 
Hampton, Va. Gone, we trust, to realize the blessedness of 
dying in the Lord. 

"THE BIBLE BETTER THAN GREENBACKS." 

Although the great mass of our soldiers were Americans, we 
found in the ranks men from almost every nation of the earth. 
The Germans and Irish were numerous. With a small sprinkle 
of English, French, and Scotch, we frequently met with the 
Swiss, the Italian, the Polander, the Russian, the Dane, and the 
Canadian, and, in a few instances, with " the poor Indian," wear- 
ing the soldier's garb, with Uncle Sam's large glittering " U. S." ] 
sticking upon his blue cap. While visiting the brave boys of | 
ward No. 27, we accosted John Nichols, of the Oneida tribe, ' 
and belonging to the 29th B.eg., Co. B, of Conn. Vol. ; and as 
we were conversing about religion, the war, and the country, we \ 
were somewhat surprised to learn his high appreciation of the 
word of God. He said, " Instead of giving the recruit green- 
backs, the Government should give him the Bible. The country 
is too much for greenbacks," he said. Deeply impressed with 
the horrors of war and of the value of human life, he said, " It 
is not right to fight and kill so many." Possessed with a humane 
spirit and being tired of the war, and failing doubtless to realize 
the great interests involved in the great struggle, he said, " I 
wish I had never enlisted." He was the only soldier I ever 
heard express his regret for having entered the service. And 
although there may have been, in some cases, an undue thirst 
for greenbacks among this war spirit, yet we did not expect such 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 239 

a reproof as the above, " The country is too fond of greenbacks," 
from an Oneida Indian. And how very significant the sug- 
gestion, " Better give the recruit the Bible than give him green- 
backs." "Ahhough money answereth all things," as Solomon 
said, yet "the love of it is the root of all evil." Money, as "the 
sinews of war," is good and important; yet the poor Indian 
says, " for the recruit the Bible is better." And so it is. Armed 
Avith the weapons not carnal, which it provides, man is made 
mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. " As 
you seem to think so much of the Bible, I suppose you read and 
study it carefully?" "Yes; I carry one along with me, and read 
it every day." " Do you try to live up to its precepts ? " " Yes, 
I try ; but not as I ought." " God says, ' In keeping them, 
there is great reward.' The Bible says, ' Watch and pray.' Do 
you pray ? " " Not much now. I prayed at home." " Prayed 
at home ; but not much now ! In the army is the very place, 
above all others, where we all ought to pray. Here, where we 
are exposed to so many temptations, we should pray always." 
Warning him of his danger, and urging him to immediate 
repentance, and beseeching him to fly to the Saviour, we bid him 
good-by. He got well. 

"SOMEHOW IT WORKED UPON ME." 

" Good-morning, Stephen ! How do you do to-day ? " "I 
am some better to-day, chaplain, I thank you. My wound is 
better, and my appetite is improving; and I am gaining strength, 
and coming up every way." "How are you religiously?" "I 
am all right religiously, I think, sir. I have been a great swearer 
and an awful wicked man, but I feel that I have undergone a 
great change lately." " Be not deceived, God is not mocked. 
Our hearts are so deceitful, we may think we are all right when 
we are all wrong. It is a very nice point to be ' all right.' " 
" Yes, I know it is, chaplain ; but I feel that I am a converted 
man." " When were you converted ? " " About three months 
ago." " Where ? " " In Chestnut Hill Hospital, near Philadel- 
phia, Pa." " What were the means of your conversion ? " " A 



240 CHEISTIANITY IN THE WAE. 

worldly man read a chapter in the Bible in the ward, one day, 
and somehow it worked upon me, while we were playing bluif. 
I went to church, and prayed, and thought on God." " You 
seemed to have been deeply convicted by hearing that chapter of 
the word of God ? " " Yes, my sins seemed very great and 
heavy ; but I believe now God has forgiven me ; and I feel pre- 
pared, and am not afraid to die. God is all my trust ; besides 
him there is no Saviour; neither is there salvation in any other, 
for there is no other name under heaven given among men 
^vhereby we must be saved." " There is only one way of salva- 
tion. That is enough. Jesus says, ' I am the way.' " " Yes, 
chaplain, that is enough. I feel that the Lord has done great 
things for me ! " " And all brought about by that worldly man 
reading a chapter in the Bible ? " " Yes, that has been owned 
and blessed of God, I believe, to my salvation." " What a 
glorious work : 'A great swearer' saved through a worldly man's 
reading a chapter in the Bible ! How clearly this demonstrates 
that ' the word of God is quick and powerful ; ' that ' the law of 
the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.' Somehow it worked 
upon you ? " " Yes." " But I suppose you cannot tell how ? " 
" No, I cannot tell particularly ; light seemed to flash upon 
my mind ; I saw and felt my sins were great, and, realizing 
my need of a Saviour, I cried to God for mercy ; and I believe 
he has changed my heart and washed my guilty soul." " Yes, it 
is all mysterious. The word of God is the instrument, and the 
Spirit of God is the agent, in conversion. We know, in this great 
change, that the mind is enlightened, that the will is subdued, 
and the heart changed ; but as to the manner how it is effected is 
mysterious. The Saviour compares the operations of the Spirit 
in regeneration to the blowing of the wind, which 'we can't tell 
whence it cometh or whither it goeth ; so is every one that is borii 
of the Spirit.' All we can tell about it is, as you say, ' Somehow 
it worked upon me.' W^e know it by the effects produced, as we 
know that the wind blows, because we can feel it, and see its 
effects ; so we may know that we are converted, although we 
cannot tell hoio the change was brought about." And, as we see 
in such a striking manner the power of God's word in this case, 



CHEISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 241 

how all-important is it to "Search the Scriptures." And inasmuch 
as this "great swearer" was converted through the instrumentality 
of "a man of the world," how strong are the inducements for sin- 
ners to labor for the conversion of sinners ; or, in the language of 
the Spirit and the bride, " let him that heareth say, come." 

"GOD STILL STICKS TO ME." 

During the last few months of my labors in the hospital, I 
very frequently conversed with John Jones, Co. E, of the lOtli 
Reg. Western Va. Vol. He lay in the western end of ward 
number two, noted for containing so many badly wounded pa- 
tients. He was severely wounded in one of the last battles near 
Petersburg, Va., and brought to the hospital soon after. He 
said he had been converted in the army, and that he enjoyed 
religion, and that he derived much comfort from it. When I 
asked him, " Do you trust in the Saviour ? " he promptly re- 
plied, " I will trust in him till I die. Jesus is my guide until 
death." Conscious of his need of help, and realizing his depend- 
ence upon God, he was very anxious to be prayed for. I preached 
to him, conversed and prayed with him very often; and he seemed 
to grow in grace until May 27, when he appeared to rise above 
all doubts, and was enabled to say, " All is well ; I am going to 
die." " Would you be afraid to die ? " " Oh, no ; I have no 
fear of death. When ' all is well,' to die is gain, and to depart 
is far better." Wrapped in a kind of vision, he said, " I heard 
singing in heaven last night, as I awoke out of sleep." Patient^ 
humble, meek, and resigned, although his suiferings were long 
and severe, not a murmur was heard to fall from his lips. Pie 
was so submissive that he seemed to lie passive in the arms of 
Jesus. At another interview, among other strong expressions 
of his faith, he said, " God still sticks to me." " Do yon feel his 
presence?" "Oh, yes; he is very near to me." "And do you 
still try to stick to him?" "Yes; though he slay me, yet will 
I trust in him." " May God bless you, and enable you to 'stand 
fast in the Lord.' God commands us to 'war a good warfare,' 
to contend earnestly, to fight, and strive to enter in at the straight 
10 



242 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 

gate. ' Jesus is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.' 
Just cling to and hold on to him, and he will bring you off more 
than conqueror. How grand and glorious your position ! " Gazing 
into the eternal world, with its stern realities rising in full view, 
with death knocking at his door, he was able to say, " All is 
well." What an all-comprehensive word! Spiritually, it im- 
plies pardon, resignation, peace, joy, readiness, and willingness 
to die and go home to glory. John Jones stood the battle of 
life until June 21, 1865, when it seemed the victory was com- 
plete, and his blood-washed soul, we trust, went home to heaven. 
" Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord." 

"OH, CHAPLAIN! WHAT WILL I DO?" 

Most earnestly and piteously exclaimed John Curry, when 
I approached him as he lay upon his long occupied bed in the 
corner of a tent in the north part of "New Camp." "Do you 
ask what to do to be saved?" "Yes," weeping profusely. 
" Trust in the Lord. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou 
shalt be saved. There, John, is the plan of salvation in a nut- 
shell. ' Only believe.'' Renounce and let go of everything else, 
and throw yourself right into the arms of Jesus, and he will save 
you." I had visited him often before, and as I approached him 
this time, he warmly grasped my hand, threw his arm around 
ray neck, and hugged me up to him very affectionately. He 
seemed very penitent and prayerful ; and after pointing him again 
to the Saviour, holding him up to him as one able, willing, and 
mighty to save, and beseeching him by the mercies of God to 
come unto him, at his request I read and prayed with him. He 
belonged to the army of the James, but having forgotten to note 
down his company, we cannot tell to what regiment he belonged. 
He was wounded May 9, 1864, in battle, and had his leg cut off 
on the field. " Johnnie " was a good boy, generous, kind, and 
affable; he was highly esteemed by all who knew him. Indeed, 
he was a flivorite of the camp. His long, severe sufferings 
elicited the sympathies of the matron, and she took good care of 
him. Chaplain Raymond visited and prayed with him also. 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 243 

At my next call, finding him still anxious about liis salvation, I 
urged him still stronger to surrender himself to the Saviour, and 
besought him, by the example of the prodigal son, to make up 
his mind to become a Christian. " Look at that poor prodigal, 
John. He had everything plenty at home, but becoming dis- 
satisfied, he demanded his fortune, and, on receiving it, took a 
journey into a fiir country, where he wasted his substance in 
riotous living. By-and-by there arose a mighty famine in that 
land, and he began to be in Avant. After a while he began to 
consider, and when he came to himself, he said, ' How many hired 
servants in my father's house have bread enough and to spare, 
and I perish here with hunger.' He makes up his mind, and says, 
in words grave and sublime, ' I will arise, I will arise, and go 
to my father, and will say unto him : Father, I have sinned against 
heaven, and in thy sight. I am no more worthy to be called thy 
son,' and feeling his unworthiness, he prays to be made as one 
of his servants. Here are two very encouraging facts, John. First, 
the perishing sinner, or the wandering prodigal, resolves to return, 
and says, 'I will arise;' and second, as the result of his resolution, 
we soon find him at home in his father's house. Oh, then, John, 
let me entreat you this day to resolve to come to God. Now, 
^vill you arise? Your country called, and you obeyed. You 
have already lost your leg, and will probably soon lose your 
life. But the loss of a limb and the loSs of your life are 
both great, but nothing compared with the loss of your immor- 
tal soul. Oh, then, look and live, believe and be saved. Think 
of the love of Christ in suifering and dying to save you. And 
here he is, here in your tent, crying, ' Come unto me, and I will 
give you rest.' 

' Jesus ready stands to save, 
Full of pity, love, and power.' " 

He was much engaged in prayer, and, though brought up a 
Catholic, he now seemed to be a converted boy. Surviving the 
warm months of summer, he fell with the autumn leaf, about the 
middle of October, 1864, and went, we trust, to swell the ranks 
of the redeemed in heaven. 



244 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 

"I AM ON THE DEVIL'S SIDE." 

Although there is some similarity in the religious views, feel- 
ings, and experiences of the soldiers, there is also something new 
and peculiar in almost every case. In canvassing the stony heart 
of Henry Campbell, 13th Tenn., Co. B, though frank and free 
to talk on religious topics, we found him indifferent about the 
one thing needful. When I questioned him about his manner 
of life, he frankly replied, " I have lived a careless and prayer- 
less life; but I have recently quit swearing." "To quit swearing 
is a very encouraging step ; it is a sign of a purpose to reform. 
And yet we may reform to some extent outwardly without any 
reformation at heart. The world is divided into two great par- 
ties. Satan has his party, and Christ has his. And as Moses, 
when he came down from the mount, filled with indignation 
upon beholding the idolatry of the children of Israel, ex- 
claimed, ' Who is on the Lord's side, ' here let me ask ' on 
whose side are you, Henry ? ' " "I am on the devil's side," he 
replied. " Why don't you come over ? " " Oh, I don't know ; 
I mean to do better hereafter." " You mean to do better here- 
after ? Why not now ? God says, ' Noio is the accepted time ; ' 
God ' now commandeth all men everywhere to repent.' " " Yes ; 
])ut I don't want to be in a hurry, sir." "You ought to be. 
Time is short. David made haste, and delayed not to keep God's 
commandments." " I don't suppose I am ready to become a 
Christian now." " You say you are on the devil's side ; and you 
know the certain result of dying in his service is endless torment. 
Are you making any efforts to become a Christian ? " " Yes ; I 
try to pray, but cannot make much out." " Perhaj^s you do 
not try much, or it may be you pray better than you suppose. 
Prayer is not eloquence of speech, but brokenness of heart and 
contrition of soul. It is the heart that prays. Y'^ou may have 
fine words and beautiful sentences, and have no prayer. Prayer 
is very simj^le. It is asking God for what you want. If you 
are hungry, you know how to ask for bread. If you want sal- 
vation, ask God, believing, and he will grant it. Prayer is really 
a means of power. In answers to the prayers of the church, 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAK. 245 

Peter was released from prison. In answer to prayer, fire falls 
from heaven, the blind see, the lame walk, devils are cast out, 
the lost are saved, and the dead are made alive. The publican 
prayed, ' God be merciful to me a sinner,' and his sins were par- 
doned. Sinking Peter prayed, ' Lord, save me ! ' and immedi- 
ately Jesus rescued him from a watery grave. The dying thief 
prayed, ' Jesus, Lord, remember me ! ' and his soul was snatched 
from a gaping hell, and wafted home to heaven. And if you 
will J)ray earnestly, God will save you." 

"PRAY FOR ME, CHArLAIN, TILL I DIE," 

Exclaimed the noble young Samuel Rufener, 116th Ohio, 
Co. E, as his life was rapidly ebbing away, from wounds re- 
ceived in one of the last great battles at Petersburg, Va. I 
had gone over to the boat, and while searching for mortally 
wounded men, the brave-hearted Rufener caught my eye, as he 
lay upon his narrow bed, with his mangled body bathed in his 
own blood. Seeing that he was nigh unto death, I canvassed 
his warm heart, and took down his spiritual diagnosis, on the 
boat, before I left him, lest he might die before reaching the 
hospital. Upon examining the grounds of his hopes for the 
future, he said " he trusted in the Lord." " He is the only way 
of salvation," I replied. " How does the Saviour appear to 
you ? " " He seems dear and precious to me ; he is a very pres- 
ent help in trouble." He seemed to enjoy religion, and said that 
he loved the Saviour. Pointing him to the cross, and commend- 
ing him to the mercy of God, we left him and passed on, looking 
for others. He was always of easy access, pleasant, and free to 
talk. Conscious of his dependence upon God, he was prayerful, 
and accustomed to hardness, suffering, and death, and entertaining 
" a good hope," he seemed composed and resigned. He was car- 
ried on a stretcher to ward number two and laid on bed No. 35, 
where I again talked and preached to him and his ward a few 
hours before he died. He was very anxious to have me re- 
main with him. And although it is now six years since he 
fell, and although I visited hundreds of patients daily, we 
remember his case very well. Asking him again about his 



246 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

spiritual condition, he responded, " I feel happy in the Lord ; " 
and believing in the power of prayer, he anxiously said to me, 
" Pray for me till I die." This was April 7, 1865, his last day 
on earth, as he departed that night ; and, having laid down his 
life for his country, he went, we trust, to dwell with Him who 
laid down his life that we might live. Though he lived through 
the war, and fell in the last great struggle, it was a satisfaction 
to see the rebellion quelled, notwithstanding it cost him his life. 
The following touching letter was received from the family to 
whicli he belonged, soon after his death. It is full of sorrow' and 
affection. 



Hannibal, Mo. County Ohio, 
May 5th, 1865. 



} 

Chaplain A. S. Billingsley. 

My Dear Friend, and Brother in Christ : Grace be 
to you ! — Again I take the pen to inform you that we received 
your letters wiiich contained the sad message of our dear son and 
brother Samuel, that he died at Fortress Monroe, Va. It was 
surely a hard stroke for us. But we know the Lord makes every- 
thing right ; we therefore say, " Lord, not our, but thy will 
be done." We feel very thankful to God that we can hear that 
he was happy in the Lord, and enjoyed religion ; this is of more 
worth to us than if you could tell us he owned ten worlds, and 
died without it. We know, if Ave hold out faithful till our end, 
■we shall all get to see him, and " meet to part no more." Oli, 
how I long for the time to come ! I often felt, to say so, 
]ioniesick for my eternal home ; but now I feel it more and 
jnore, my dear brother is there ! Oh, that I was there ! I 
know my dear Saviour will come, and will take me home sooner 
or later. I will still try to make my way to heaven. Jesus is 
the best friend I have : I know that my Redeemer lives ; he 
saved me from my lost estate. I hope to find you once in heaven, 
where I can tell you my feelings better than now. We hope and 
])ray to God that he may repay you richly for your love and 
kindness which you have showed so kindly toward us, but most 
to our dear Samuel. We hope you will find the fruit in heaven 
vvhich you have sowed at Fortress Monroe. 

Dear friend : we received a letter from Mrs. Capt. A. Ingram, 
from the eighth of April, 1865, in which she told us that he gave 
her his pocket-book to send home, which contained ten dollars ; 
but she gave it back to him. If it is there, get it. We wish 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 247 

you could take some of it for your trouble; and if there will be 
■somethiug left, if you please, send it by mail to us. His other 
effects, we think, are not much of any account. The remains 
of his body we will let lay where they are. Jesus will find and 
call them there as well as here. Last Sunday, Rev. J. C Ko])]), 
German Methodist preacher, preached the funeral for him over 
the text recorded in the Revelation of St. John, 14th chapter, 13th 
verse. It was a blessed time for our souls. I must close. 

Dear sir : I would like to know where you live when at home ; 
it might happen that I could see you once yet on this world ; 
therefore I would like to have your direction, if you could send 
it. My father would have wrote to you ; but we are German 
people, and he cannot write English ; excuse him therefore. 
Excuse my bad writing and mistakes. 

We all love you dearly, and feel thankful to God and to you. 
May God bless you richly. Our best love and respects to you. 
Your true 

Friends. 

" i would as soon go to my heavenly home." 

" The power of association is great, and the exercise of that 
power often produces feelings both pleasing and mournful to 
the soul." Returning, for example, after a long absence, to the 
grave of a beloved father, mother, brother, sister, little babe, 
and how do the mournful scenes of the past crowd upon you ! 
Pierced with sorrow, bathed in tears, and hushed in silence, you 
stand around the sacred spot, and, under the influence of height- 
ened emotions, you are ready to speak to the very dead, and say, 
" Farewell to the dearest object of your tenderest affections." I 
have seen the bereaved widow, riding in the cars, suddenly burst 
into tears upon passing the fatal spot where her dear husband 
had been accidentally killed by striking his head against a tele- 
graph post. And I have seen soldiers, whom you could scarcely 
touch with the melting scenes of Gethsemane and Calvary, melt 
into tears when you would begin to talk to them about mother, 
and the pleasures of home. Merely to sj^eak of that sweet word, 
would stir his soul and touch his heart, and so far, for a time, 
transfer him back to old scenes and associations that he would 
reVel in the sweet recollections of past enjoyments. "And yet," 



248 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 

«aid Hiram Dickson, 112tli N. Y., Co. D, "1 would as soon go 
to my heavenly home as to my native home/' as we were eon- 
versing with him about his spiritual interests. " That is a very 
wise choice, Hiram ; heaven is always preferable to earth, not- 
withstanding all its grandeur and glory. Paul, when lying and 
suflPering severely in a dingy prison at Rome, in view of his ex- 
pected speedy departure, with a full foretaste of heaven, exclaimed, 
' To die is gain, and to depart is far better.' " At our first in- 
terview with this heroic patriot, we found him exhibiting every 
mark of penitence and resignation. He said that he had sought 
and found the Saviour in the low lands of Florida, and that he 
had been enjoying a bright hope for several months. At his 
request, we often read and prayed with him ; and being full of 
faith, he derived such a degree of comfort from God's promises 
and a Saviour's love that he preferred his home in heaven to his 
home on earth. And well he might, because, with all the endear- 
ments and enjoyments of home, it is nothing compared to heaven. 
Here, we are infants ; there, perfect men in Christ Jesus. Here, 
we are soldiers in. battle ; there, kings and priests unto God, 
crowned with glory and honor. Here, we sufier and fight; there, 
we reign and rejoice forevermore. The Christian sometimes on 
(>arth gets so near to God, and enjoys such a bright manifestation 
of his presence, that he realizes " a joy unspeakable and full of 
glory." Enjoying this in a high degree, Payson said, " I seemed 
to swim in a flood of glory, which rolled around me like a sea 
of light." Edwards, while alone in a solitary mountain, enjoyed 
such a sense of God's presence, that he seemed entirely detached 
from the world, and lost and " swallowed up in God." John 
Welsh exclaimed, shortly before he died, " Lord, hold thy hand: 
it is enough ; thy servant is a clay vessel, and can hold no more." 
Oh. what unspeakable bliss there is to be enjoyed here on earth. 
And yet all this is but an earnest of heaven. Here the wicked 
trouble, but the moment we pass " the threshold of glory," they 
cease, and the rest remaineth undisturbed forever. There, en- 
shrined in God, and wearing crowns of glory and palms of vic- 
tory, the redeemed will sit down upon God's throne, and forever 
rule and reign Avith him in glory. And even there, bathed "-in 



CHEISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 249 

seas of heavenly rest," will doubtless advance from strength to 
strength and from glory to glory, and, like two mathematical 
lines, be forever drawing nearer and nearer unto God, without ever 
reaching; that which is inaccessible. There are no stations in heaven. 
No : doubtless it is one eternal 'progression in light, joy, and glory. 
There, even the angels, with all their knowledge and perfection, 
desire to learn and look into the mysteries of redemption. How 
much soever we may know and enjoy of Christ here, our cry still 
is, " My soul thirsteth for God." And doubtless, when we will 
have been there ten thousand years, our cry will still be the same, 
" My soul thirsteth for God." Moses, with all his glorious 
sights, near approaches, and close communions with God, still 
longs for more, and earnestly prays, "God, I beseech thee, show 
me thy glory." Paul, though twenty years in Christ, when 
caught up to the third heaven, and saw what was not possible 
for man to utter, yet, like a babe in Christ, still prays, " That I 
may know him." Glorious, wonderful progression ! Seated on 
God's throne, and yet rising higher and higher. Dwelling in 
God, and yet forever drawing nearer and nearer unto him. 
Filled with all the fulness of God, and yet forever filling. 
And even there, upon these lofty heights of grandeur and glory, 
will be heard a voice issuing from the throne, " Come up higher! 
come up higher!" And it was, no doubt, Hiram Dickson's 
clear conception of the happiness and glory of heaven that led 
him to prefer " his heavenly to his native home." He had 
seen something of worldly and military glory. He had seen 
one mighty army fight and vanquish another, and retire from 
the gory field crowned with glory and honor. But what, we 
ask, are these and all earthly glory, compared with " the eternal 
weight of glory at God's right hand." Contrast earth with 
heaven. How is earth dwarfed, eclipsed, and cast into the shade. 
Lying tranquil in the arms of Jesus, he lingered until January 
18, 1864, when his disembodied spirit, washed in a Saviour's 
blood, went home to dwell with God. " To die is gain." 



250 CHEISTIANITY INTHE WAR. 

"I AM TOO WICKED TO COME TO JESUS." 

"What! too wicked to come to Jesus! Oh, no; what makes 
you think so ? Christ's love, mercy, and power are all in- 
finite, and he can save a big sinner just as easy as a little one. 
His atonement is of infinite value. His blood cleanseth from 
all sin." " I know he says so ; but I am such a great sinner." 
" Yes ; but Christ is a great Saviour : he is able, willing, mighty 
to save, even to the uttermost, all that cometh unto God by him. 
David urges the greatness of his sins as an argument for pardon, 
and prays in these remarkable words, ' For thy name's sake, O 
Lord, pardon mine iniquity ; for it is great.' Then, don't be 
discouraged ; your great wickedness is no hindrance in coming 
to Jesus. No ; the greater your sins, the greater your need of a 
Saviour. If you had no sin, you would have no need of a 
Saviour. Jesus has saved some of the vilest sinners. Paul, the 
blasphemer and persecutor, called himself the chief of sinners, 
but Jesus saved him. Manasseh was a great sinner, guilty of 
witchcraft, gross idolatry, and murder, and even made the streets 
of Jerusalem run red with blood, yet Jesus forgave his sins, 
washed and saved his soul. Jesus saved the thief on the cross. 
Jesus saved some of his own murderers who put him to the 
shameful, ignominious death of crucifixion. And do you think 
you are worse than they?" "Well, I suppose not." "Oh, 
then, be encouraged ; despair not ; ' while there is life, there is 
hope.' 

'Wliile the lamp holds out to burn, 
The vilest sinner may return.' 

"What kind of a life have you lived ? " " I have lived care- 
less and thoughtless about religion." "Do you ever pray?" 
"No." "Now do you really /ec/ that you are so Svicked'?" 
" Yes, I feel so." " Sin is so blinding and deceiving, that some- 
times the greatest sinners have but very little conception of. their 
sins. This, I suppose, is probably the case with you. When 
you deeply feel the weight of your sins, you will begin to pray, 
and ask God for 'pardon.' If you on\y felt your sins to be as 
great as you acknowledge them to be, you would begin at once 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 251 

to pray like the publican, ' God be merciful unto me a sinner,' 
or cry, like sinking Peter, ' Lord, save me.' Your great want, 
then, is light — light to see yourself as you are, and to understand 
the way of salvation. Oh, then, go to God in prayer. Pray like 
David, ' O Lord, open thou mine eyes, that I may behold won- 
drous things out of thy law.' You can't get rid of your sins 
unless you do come to Christ. He is the only sin-bearer. That 
dying thief, while hanging on the cross, simply prayed 'Jesus, 
Lord, remember me,' and the Lord saved him. Then be en- 
couraged, and begin now tfl pray. Your sins are not so great as 
his were. Jesus is the same now that he was then. His blood 
is as efficacious now as then ; and if you will only throw yourself 
upon his mercy, he will save you. Remember, my friend, if you 
ever get to heaven, you must make the start. You must forsake 
your evil ways ; cease to do evil, and learn to do well. When 
the Saviour commenced preaching, he began by saying, 'Repent, 
repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.' It is noble 
to l)e a soldier of your country, but it is far more important to 
be a soldier of the cross. You may die to save your country, 
and yet die and be lost. It is a very easy thing to be lost. 
Just live on as you have been doing, in your wilful neglect of the 
Saviour, and your damnation is sure. Oh, then, rise out of that 
thick darkness that makes you think you are ' too wicked to come 
to Jesus.' Such thoughts come from the devil. He is always 
laboring to deceive us, and keep us away from the cross. And 
the only remedy is to fly to Jesus just as you are. Yes, come 
to Jesus just as you are. You can't become any bettei' by delay. 
No: 

' The longer wisdom you despise, 
The harder is she to be won.' 

Oh, then, fly to the Saviour ; stej) right out on the promises of 
God, like sinking Peter, and lay hold of Christ by faith, and he 
will save you. JNIay the love of Christ constrain you. May his 
Spirit woo you until you yield to the riches of his grace, and 
bow to the sce])tre of his saving power. Will you try ? " "I 
will." " The -Lord help you." 



252 CHRISTIAXITY IN THE WAR. 

"GOD GRABBED ME INTO HIS HEART AT ONCE." 

It was just as the last lingering rays of the setting sun played 
upon the broad stripes of the dear old flag waving over the 
hospital, that I fell in conversation with Edmund Johnson, 37th 
U. S., Co. G, as he lay upon his bed in his ward. We held up 
before him the law, with its precepts, threats, and penalties, and 
the gospel with its promises and rewards. But he frankly 
replied, " I don't know much about it in de books ; but I know 
something about it in my heart. I labored hard to get it into 
my heart." " It is well to have the law and gospel in the head ; 
but it is far better to have it in the heart. When the Saviour 
said, ' Thy law is within my heart,' he exclaimed, ' I delight to 
do thy will, O my God ! ' It is having the law in our hearts 
that brings about our salvation ; for it is the heart God seeks. 
It matters but little who has the head, if Satan has the heart. 
The heart governs. This is what gives the Christian religion 
such power; it takes possession of and controls the heart; and if 
3^ou take the heart out of it, you leave it a lifeless corpse. How 
very wise, therefore, to ' labor hard to get it into our hearts.' 
How did you labor to get it into your heart? what did you do? " 
" I prayed ; I called loud on de Lord, and he grabbed me into 
his heart at once." " Think you have got God in your heart ? " 
" Yes, I think so." '' Then endeavor, by all means, to hold on 
to him. You in God, and God in you; what an exalted priv- 
ilege! God in us, and we in God! You miist feel very happy, 
Edmund?" "I do feel happy, chaplain, thank God!" 
'' Snatched from the kingdom of darkness and grabbed into God's 
heart, with Christ formed in you the hope of glory, you need 
have nothing to fear ; for ' there is no condemnation to them 
who are in Christ Jesus.' The relation, or union, existing be- 
tween Christ and the believer is very close and intimate. Christ 
is the vine, and the believers are the branches ; hence he says, 
* Because I live, ye shall live also.' Again he says, ' I in them ; ' 
therefore let us ' abide in him.' And as you have labored hard 
to get 'the word' and God into your heart, strive to keep it 
there. The way to be happy is to be faithful. ' If ye know 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 253 

these things, happy are ye if ye do them.' The connection be- 
tween fidelity and happiness is inseparable. " No cross, no 
crown ; " no fight, no victory ; hence the Saviour says, ' Be thou 
faithful until death, and I will give thee a crown of life.' " 

«'I PRAYED ON, AND GOD CHANGED MY HEART." 

" How do you do to-day, Jacob ? " " Not very well, chaplain." 
" What ails you ? " " Got misery about my heart, and I have 
no appetite to eat." " How is your heart with God ? " " So far 
as I can judge, my heart is right with God." " Where did you 
get it fixed ? " " In Camp ''Nelson, Kentucky." " When ? " 
" One year ago." " By a right heart, I suppose you mean a 
nev: heart, or that you are a converted man ? " " Yes, that is 
what I mean." " What were the means of your conversion ? " 
" I saw men dying around me. I began to consider ; and the 
thought struck me, I don't know how soon it may be my turn to 
go^ and the more I thought about it, the deeper I felt concerned 
about my soul's salvation. The chaplain came in, read a chapter, 
and talked to us poor sick and wounded soldiers about Jesus, 
and prayed for us; and I was so deeply impressed, that I began 
to pray, and seek God myself. I prayed on, and sought the 
Lord, and, two months after, God changed my heart." " And 
how have you felt since ? " "I feel very happy ; sometimes 
I feel like flying away to heaven. Praying is now my daily 
lousiness." "Do you have much liberty in prayer?" "Oh, 
yes, thank God ! I feel as though I get very near the throne of 
grace sometimes." " A ' fixed heart ' is the source of great 
rejoicing. David, when pursued by fierce enemies, ready to 
swallow him up, yet, with his heart stayed and fixed upon God, 
rises above all fear, and says, ' My heart is fixed, O God ! my 
heart is fixed. I will sing and give praise!' Paul, with his heart 
fixed upon God, though encompassed with conflicts and trials, 
says, ' None of these things move me.' With his heart stayed 
and fixed upon God, the martyr unflinchingly burns at the stake ; 
with his heart stayed and fixed upon God, Jesus undauntedly 
went forth to Calvary, longing and thii'sting for the mighty con- 



254 CHRISTIANITY IX THE AVAR. 

flict by which he was to rescue man from the ruins of the fall, 
and eifect the salvation of the world." From this case, let the 
prayerless be encouraged to pray. The unconverted often excuse 
themselves from prayer, and, to maintain their position, they say, 
" The prayers of the wicked are an abomination unto the Lord ; " 
yet it is the bounden duty of all to pray. God commanded Simon 
Magus to pray, when he was in the gall of bitterness and in the 
bond of iniquity. The unconverted publican prayed, " God be 
merciful to me a sinner ! " and God heard his prayer and forgave 
his sins. Jacob Ellison, 114th U. S., Co. B, prayed, and he says, 
*' God changed my heart." Therefore let none excuse themselves 
from this delightful duty because they are not Christians. God 
says, '* Seek, and ye shall find." If your heart is not right with 
God, pray to have it fixed. 

"THE DEVIL COAXED ME OFF." 

Talented and shrewd, the soldiers often " got off" some sharp 
things. Although many of them were limited in their education, 
yet we frequently found among them the thoroughly educated 
graduate. Upon our first interview with Charles R. Akin, 4th 
Mass. Cavalry, Co. B, we found him of easy access, and "full of 
the gab." Upon approaching him on the subject of religion, he 
manifested a good deal of anxiety about his salvation, and ex- 
pressed himself in strong terms of having already passed from 
death unto life. He appeared prayerful and penitent, and, said 
he, " I think God has forgiven my sins. God has got me, and 
has had me for over a year. I have not done right all that time, 
I know; but God has forgiven my wrongs. INIy wife gave me 
good advice at home, but the devil came along and coaxed me 
off." " You must beware of the devil ; he is always ready to 
tempt and allure us into sin. If you resist him, he will flee from 
you. Do you feel sorry for your sins?" "Yes; but not as I 
ought. Yet I feel happy." " Do you think you could die 
happy ? " " Yes, I have no doubt of it; all is bright and clear." 
" I am glad to see you so hapj)y ; yet it is important sometimes 
to examine very closely the grounds and evidence of our hopes. 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 255 

Paul says, ' Let a man examine himself.' When tlie lukewarm 
Laodiceans thoutrht themselves all ric;ht, and said they ' were 
rich, and had need of nothing,' the great Searcher of hearts de- 
scribes them as being deceived, and says to them, ' Thou knowest 
not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, 
and naked.' (Rev. iii. 17.) And you know Paul, the pharisee, 
thought he was all right, when he was all wrong ; so it is of the 
utmost importance to search our hearts, review our lives, and 
examine very closely, lest we be deceived. Besides, close self- 
examination tends to growth in grace. You say God has got you, 
yet, as Satan sometimes ' coaxes you off,' as you say, allow me to 
warn you ; beware, watch, and pray earnestly, lest Satan get 
you at last." At another conversation, he seemed to possess a 
confidence still more unshaken, and said, "I am all right; I am 
happy, happy, the happiest man on earth ! " And going on in 
a strain of ecstatic joy, he said, " There is a foundation to my 
religion ; I mean it." " Then stick to it. May God help and abun- 
dantly bless you." How glorious to enjoy such assurance under 
such trying circumstances ! He sent for me, one evening, while 
conducting the prayer-meeting in the hall, and, on my reaching 
him, found him still entertaining his bright jDrospects. After read- 
ing a few verses of Scripture, and urging him to be steadfast, 
and cling to the Saviour, and commending him to God in prayer, 
we left him. Among his last words to me were, " Tell my wife I 
died happy in the Lord." This was February 10, 1865. It was 
very unusual to hear a patient express himself as Charles P. Akin 
did. Although he had lived somewhat wayward, as his com- 
rades said, yet at the last he appeared not only very penitent, 
but happy. He died a few days after, and went, we trust, to tlie 
realm of peace. He belonged to the Hampton brass band, and 
the whole band honored him with their deep, solemn strains of 
music at his funeral. 



256 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

EXTRACTS FROM THE AUTHOR's DIARY. 

PLEACHING IN THE WARDS— A MeLTING PrAYEE-MeETING — HOSPITAL 

Church Organized — Church Creed — A Weeping Scene at the 
Grave — The Naked Heart — Mortality Increasing — "Try 
Again" — A Soldier's Prayer-Meeting — Catholics Turning 
Protestants — Christmas Dinner — Holidays in U. S. Hospital 
— Week of Prayer — The Lord's Supper — Revival in Hospital. 

BELIEVING that a few extracts from my army diary will 
interest our readers, and tend to increase the value of our 
little book, I here insert a few. 

PREACHING IN THE WARDS. 

"August 14, 1864. Preached in wards Nos. 1 and 11 this fore- 
noon. Very good attention. First sermon, by request, from the 
last two verses of Psalm xix. A very good subject. The sermon 
in ward No. 1 was from JNIatt. xxiii. 37, Christ's wonderful 
compassion for sinners ; and after the close of the service, as I 
was walking up the aisle of the ward, one poor sick soldier 
stretched out his hand to shake hands, beckoning me to come to 
him ; and as I approached him, he said, ' You don't know how 
thankful I am to you for that sermon, and how much good it has 
done me.' He seemed very thankful. How very expressive is 
a warm, tender shake of the hands. Just as we were singing the 
last hymn, — 

' A charge to keep I have, 
A God to glorify,' 

a sick soldier was brought into the ward dying. They laid him 
down, gave him a little brandy, and he swallowed it. The nurses 
began to rub and wash him, but in less than fifteen minutes he 
was dead. As we were returning from the usual funeral, Aug. 
11, I saw a soldier walking close by me, weeping, I said to him, 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 257 

' Was one of those we buried your brother ? ' ' No, sir,' lie 
replied ; ' but I never want to become insensible to death.' 

"Aug. 16. Bui'ied nineteen departed soldiers to-day. The 
Lord bless the sick and wounded. Prepare them for what is 
before them. We had a very good prayer-meeting to-night. 
One of the worst cases in the hospital rose, and said, ' I have 
been very wicked, almost the chief of sinners, it seems to me, 
but now I desire to seek God,' Meeting very solemn. ' O Lord, 
revive thy work.' Lord, humble, forgive, bless us. Another 
l)ig fight at Deep Bottom. Began last Sabbath. The rebels 
attacked our forces, and they fought three days. Our men took 
two rifle-pits, drove the rebels, and took a good lot of prisoners. 

"Aug. 19. Buried ten soldiers. Kead from last part 1 Cor. 
XV. It is most glorious ; it is so full of the resurrection and 
victory. Thank God. Visited wards Nos. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and led 
the regular prayer-meeting. Read and spoke from the story of 
blind Bartimeus, Mark x. 46, etc. Very good, powerful meet- 
ing ; lasted over an hour and a half. One speaker sat down 
shouting, * Glory be to God.' Men say, when they rise to speak, 
' I can't sit still.' These meetings were characterized with much 
heartfelt speaking. Aug. 12. I wrote in my diary, * It was 
melting to see the boys rise and speak so tenderly. It was the 
eloquence of the heart, and it touched the heart.' 

"July 8. Visited in the wards generally. Went over to 
Hampton Hospital ; and on approaching a suffering soldier 
(Spiece), with one leg cut off above the knee, he exclaimed, ' Oh, 
chaplain, will you pray for me?' After a few words of inquiry 
about his spiritual condition, and about the compassion of Jesus, 
I kneeled down on the ground, in the dusty tent, and prayed for 
him, with his aged father standing by. He is very fond of 
singing, and when we sung'^or him, ' Oh, sing to me of heaven,' 
etc., he went to sleep. He suffered very severely. We often 
sung him to sleep. And a wounded chaplain hearing oui' 
singing, sent for me to come and see him. I went, and found him 
badly Avounded. Sang and prayed with him, comforting him 
with the promises and consolations of the gospel. Urging him 
to cling closely to the cross, and bid<ling him a hearty farewell, 
17 



258 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

we left him with a heart glowing with love to God and gratitude 
to the chaplain. 

" Aug. 17. Three boat-loads of wounded brought down to-day 
from Deep Bottom. Some four hundred in all. Two officers 
brought in dead. Great many very badly wounded, with arms 
and legs off. Met one, whose first words to me were, ' Jesus is 
precious to me now.' I remained on the boats, pointing the 
dangerous and dying to the Saviour, till half-past ten that night. 

" Sept, 4. Preached three times, and two died in one of the 
wards where I preached." 

A MELTING PRAYER -MEETING. 

"To-night, Aug. 22, 1864. It was one of the most melting, 
contrite meetings we have witnessed for a long time. There waa 
more contrition of soul, conviction of sin, brokenness of heart, 
and requesting of prayer, than I ever saw at one meeting. 
Visited a boat-load of sick and wounded, and pointed the worst 
cases to Christ : then visited New Camp. Received and read 
five or six letters, and answered one. Wrote a sore-footed man 
a letter to his wife. A'^isited the Gangrene Camp, and talked 
and prayed with the most dangerous cases. Visited colored ward 
number twenty-two, of sick and wounded. Talked Jesus to a tent 
of colored soldiers, and an old prayerless, swearing man in ward 
number two, until he wept tears of penitence. Buried five sol- 
diers this morning. Read and prayed four or five times. Many 
confessed their sins to-night, asked to be prayed for, and gave 
their names as seekers and candidates for the organization of a 
Hospital union church. One of the greatest sinners, as he pro- 
fessed to be, requested to be prayed for, and gave his name as a 
seeker. One boy, George Moore, said, * I would not be ashamed 
nor afraid to pray, if ten thousand bayonets were pointed at me.' 
Backsliders are returning. O Saviour, draw them nearer and 
still nearer unto thee ! 

"Sept. 4, 1864. Sabbath-day. Buried five more departed 
heroes. Preached three times in wards numbers seventeen, four- 
teen, and two. Close attention. Meetings solemn and very 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 2bd 

interesting. They seem to enjoy it very much, and invite me to 
come and preach again. Preaching is the only way to reach all. 
Two died to-day in one ward where I preached. One poor fel- 
low, John McMaster, ^vas shot in the throat, and died at six p.m.; 
the other had his leg cut oif above the knee. 

" Sept. 3. Prayer - meeting to-night, full, refreshing ; not 
quite so lively and melting as at other times. Many prayed ; 
sometimes three would commence at once, then two had to wait. 
We had to close with many more willing and waiting to pray. 
They seem to be thirsting for God, and longing to approach him 
in prayer. Thank God ! 

"Sept. 6. Pead a few Psalms, Bridges on the 119tli Psalm, 
and 'Imitation of Christ,^ by T. a Kempis ; I usually read a few 
pages of some devotional book once or twice a day ; it tends 
much to strengthen. Visited in wards numbers nineteen, four- 
teen, and sixteen ; and preached in fifteen on the Philippian jailer. 
At the regular prayer-meeting, to-night, we resolved to organize 
a Hospital union church. Meeting to-night very interesting. One 
man rose, and said, ' A patient in ward number nineteen, as I 
passed by him, called me to his bedside, and requested me to 
pray for him, and I kneeled down and prayed for him. He 
seemed very thankful.' Another ward nurse said, as I was 

conversing with , ' I am going to turn a new leaf, and quit 

swearing, and try to serve the Lord.' Thus we see how God 
is carrying on his blessed work. Many are hungering for the 
gospel." 

HOSPITAL CHURCH ORGANIZED. 

"Sept. 9, 1864. A Hospital union church was organized this 
evening, with thirty-one members, in the dining - hall. This 
organization was gone into after mature deliberation between 
Chaplain Roe and myself, and a free consultation with the 
patients ; and it was found to work well, notwithstanding the 
unsettled condition of the people. We found our organization 
tended to give union, action, strength, and influence to the religious 
element. Soldiers of the cross, like soldiers of the army, do 
much better, and accomplish more, with than without an organ- 



260 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 

ization. Jesus Christ never designed that his followers should 
live and spend their sojourn on earth alone ; hence the organiza- 
tion of the church ; and there are the same necessity and ad- 
vantages for it in the armv and hospital that exist at home. 
Clu-istians of all denominations, and from all parts of the coun- 
try, united under the ' banner of the cross,' can help, encourage, 
and protect one another in the bonds of Christian fellowship, 
better than when standing isolated and alone. Exposed to the 
strong temptations and asperities of the army, a Christian needs all 
the props and restraints a church can throw around him." 

CHURCH CREED. 

Made up of Christians of all denominations, our articles of 
religion, or confession of faith, were short, plain, and comprehen- 
sive. Here it is : 

Art. 1. "God being my helper, I will try to the best of my 
a!)ility to be a Christian." 

Art. 2. " I will take the word of God for my guide, and trust 
in Christ alone for salvation." 

Art, 3. " I solemnly pledge myself to abstain from profane 
language, from alcoholic drinks as a beverage, and from all other 
vices in the army and camp, and will be a true soldier of my 
country and of the cross." 

Art. 4. " I will earnestly strive to win souls to Christ, and 
will faithfully try to watch over my Christian brother." 

Without aifccting other church connections at home, the 
reader will at once perceive that our creed was broad, orthodox, 
strong, and comprehensive. Its adoption led to the further 
development of the religious element, to self-examination, gave 
tangibility to our efforts, and seemed to be greatly blessed of 
God to the furtherance of the cause of Christ. This " little 
Hock" increased rapidly, and soon numbered over a hundred. 
Christians of all denominations, without regard to sects, united 
in this common brotherhood ; and denominationalism was so fixr 
swallowed up in the great cause of saving souls, that we but sel- 
dom inquired to what church an individual belonged. Wher- 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 261 

ever we found a man wearing the image of Christ, we were glad 
to receive him into our society. Even some of the Catholics, 
giving evidence of a change, were received into our little band 
of Christian soldiers. A number of the surgeons and ladies of 
the hospital also connected with us. 

" Sept. 9, 1864. It was the evening of prayer, and the meeting 
was very large ; some earnest prayers, and one speech. George 
W. Moore, 188th Pa., said, ' I went into ward ten ; saw a few 
boys ; went up to them, and talked to them about Jesus, and 
asked them if I might pray for them. They said they " did n't 
care," I asked the ward-master if I might ? He said, " Yes." 
I prayed, and we had a good, happy time.' Gave away tracts; 
received five hundred New Testaments and a large box of papers 
for the patients from New York. 

" Sept. 1 4. Buried four more departed soldiers. Visited 
seven or eight wards, and found a few willing to join our little 
Hospital church. Labored a while at my thanksgiving sermon ; 
but, thinking of the suffering patients in ward number one, was 
constrained to go and see them. Prayed with John R. Small, 
37th N. Y., Co. G., and, as I prayed, he followed me, repeating 
the same words. Visited two wards in New Camp at nine p.m., 
and a few cases in wards eight and nine. Conversed with one 
fellow very anxious to get religion ; urged him to the cross. How 
often patients weep ! In conversing with Bennett J. Cobley, 
58th Pa., Co. I, we found him careless and prayerless. He said 
liis family was so before him. ' Do you swear ? ' 'I swear oc- 
casionally, but I will swear no more, if I can help it.' After a 
long talk to him about the Saviour, urging him to immediate 
repentance and to prayer, he said, ' Won't you make a little 
prayer for me ? ' Avetting his eyes with the penitential tear. His 
careless brother, standing by, wept profusely. He urged me to 
call again. Left him praying, ' God be merciful to me a sinner.' 

"Sept. 16. No funeral this morning. Five soldiers were 
buried this evening. Canvassed wards as usual, and preached 
in ward number two, on ' Christ wonderful.' (Isa. ix. 6.) We 
had a most powerful prayer-meeting to-night. I never saw such 
a disposition to pray among the patients. When the chaplain 



262 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 

ceased speaking, and picked up the hymn-book to give out a 
hymn to sing, before he had time to open his mouth, a soldier 
Avas on his knees praying. ' We go it' on the voluntary system, 
and very often the desire to pray is so general, two or three 
])egin to pray at the same time. Eighteen led in prayer this 
evening. Their prayers were short, plain, direct, earnest. The 
chaplain read from the last chapter in the Bible. The iutei'est 
seems to be increasing. ^ Lord, help us ! O Lord, revive thy 
work ! ' B. J. Cobley, referred to in the foregoing record, died 
to-day, and said he was happy. 

"Sept. 17. Eight departed soldiers were buried this evening. 
Preached in ward five ; very attentive. Some two hundred 
I)atients brought in to-day ; some very sick ; two died on the 
boat. I saw one neglected colored soldier die, leaning up against 
the side of the boat ; no one noticing him but myself; he died 
easy. They were crowded into a hot, uncomfortable place close 
by the smoke-stack. I saw another poor soldier dying, whom 
tliey said had been partially deranged and very hard of hearing. 
As I stood by him he grasped my hand, and gave me a most 
expressive, wishful look ; he could not speak. Death soon took 
him, and the nurses carried his body to the dead-house." 

WEEPING SCENE AT THE GRAVE. 

" Friday, Sept.22. Buried five departed soldiers. And just as 
we closed the funeral services, the bereaved widow of one of them, 
Henry A. Thurston, 152d N. Y., Co. M, arrived at the grave, 
and desired to see her dear husband's remains. Of course we all 
consented at once to a request so reasonable, and proceeded imme- 
diately to take up the coffin ; but, through some mistake, we took 
up the wrong one, and opened it to the gaze of the bereaved 
widow ; and as she came forward with a heart smitten with grief, 
weeping profusely, at the first glimpse of the corpse she ex- 
claimed, * It ain't him ! it ain't him ! ' and perceiving the mistake, 
we soon put it back and took up the right one, enshrouded in a 
plain red coffin, and gathering around it, she wept bitterly. How 
hard the sad trial ! How severe her loss ! Yet dying for his 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 263 

country, and giving such bright evidence of dying in the Lord, 
doubtless ' for hini to die was gain.' Corporal Thurston's dying 
request was, ' Tell my wife I died happy in Christ.' Near his 
last, he grasped the hands of his cousin, and said, ' I am going 
home, and praise God for it.' It was quite common to see wives 
come to see, nurse, and comfort their sick and wounded hus- 
bands in the hospital, and find them dead and buried. It was 
(|uite common to see anxious mothers come, hundreds of miles, 
inquiring for their dear sons, and find them enshrouded in their 
coffins in the dead-house, or lying in the cold grave. Then the 
next anxious inquiry would be, ' How did he die? What were 
his last words and dying thoughts? Did he seem resigned? 
and give any satisfactory evidence of a change ? ' etc. All such 
(questions we always answered to the best of our ability with 
great pleasure. To meet a bereaved widow, or mother, or brother, 
Avho had sustained the loss of a bosom friend, and have nothing 
encouraging to tell them about the departed, was, of all duties, the 
most unpleasant connected with a chaplain's labors in the hos- 
pital." 

♦ THE NAKED HEART. 

" Sept. 27. Visited nine wards in the forenoon and a few in 
New Camp in the afternoon, where I saw distinctly the throb- 
bings and beatings of the heai't of private John L. Reno, 76th 
Pa. Vol., Co. B, who had been shot through the breast, and left 
three lioles therein. Part of the breastbone was taken out, leav- 
ing the heart exposed, so that we could distinctly see every beat 
of it. Yet this brave soldier was buoyant in spirits and full of 
courage, and doing well. How vividly this wonderful sight 
brings to mind God's omniscient, piercing view of the heart. 
' Although your heart is uncovered and laid open, we can see 
nothing but its exterior and the quick throbbings occasioned by 
the rapid circulation of the blood; but "the Lord searcheth all 
hearts," and scans every motive, thought, word, and deed; for all 
of which he will soon call us to give a strict and impartial ac- 
count. And just here, my brave fellow, allow me to ask how 
is "vour heart with God?" for it n)atters but little who has the 



264 CHRISTIANITY IX THE AVAR. 

head, if Satan has the heart. The heart governs. How is it 
with you, John ? ' ' Well, chaplain, I don't know, but I have 
a hope.' * Your heart beats strong and lively to-day, but God 
only knows how soon it may stop.' David prayed for a clean 
heart. The Saviour says, " My son, give me thy heart." If you 
give your life for your country, how reasonable it is to give your 
lieart to God.' In my rounds, on Sept. 30, I saw many badlv 
Avounded cases : one poor little fellow with both eyes shot out. 
Visited them on the boat. They were complaining for some- 
thing to eat. 

"October 1. Three boat-loads of patients brought in to-dav, 
about five hundred in all, and many very severely wounded. 
Many came with limbs off, some shot in the head, some in 
the lungs, and one unfortunate colored man shot through the root 
of the tongue, which swelled so that he could scarcely speak. 
He wrote his name and address for me." 

MORTALITY INCREASING. 

With the battles raging at the front, the sick and wounded 
kept pouring in by boat-loads daily. To go down to the wharf 
and gaze upon a large steamer thickly strewn with brave, 
wounded men, fresh from the gory field, with hearts beating with 
})atriotism and blood flowing from their wounds, with here and 
there one dead, and others dying, the scene presented was solemn 
and trying. And when you begin to ask, " What meaueth all 
this ? " you were deeply impressed with the value and importance 
of the salvation of the country. Our forces were now, Oct. 1, 
1864, closely investing liichmond ; and the conflict waxed warm 
and heavy. To-day, some five hundred wounded were brought 
down, many of whom were very severely, and many mortally, 
wounded. In fact, a good many died on being brought down. 
Now Ave buried from fifteen to twenty a day. The dead-house 
was sometimes full ; some lying in their glory, in their plain red 
coffins, wrapped in their winding-sheets, wdiile others, without 
coffins, lay on the floor. 

" Oct. 2. Preached twice, and visited twelve wards. Sermon at 
night on 'The Soldier's Guard;' and a soldier was so deeply 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 265 

interested, that he said, 'I could listen all night on that sub- 
ject.' 

" Oct. 3. Buried twenty departed soldiers to-day, four cart-loads ; 
it took all the afternoon. Chaplain Roe, U. S. A., also buried six, 
making in all twenty-six to-day. Preached twice, and visited some 
six hundred patients, canvassing the hearts of the sickest ones." 

"TRY AGAIN." 

Passing up the aisle of one of the wards, one Sabbath after- 
noon, as we were going round with the choir singing, reading, 
and praying with the patients in the wards, I stepped up to a, 
soldier of the 10th Reg. of Conn. Volunteers, who had for sev- 
eral days been " trying to pray," — trying to "trust in the Lord, 
and trying to believe ; " and as I approached his bed, I said to 
him, " Are you still seeking Jesus ? " and immediately he ex- 
claimed, "I have found him ! I have found him !" "Thank God, 
what a precious Saviour ! What a glorious discovery ! what a 
blessed privilege to find such a merciful Saviour! Does he 
seem precious to you ? " " Oh, yes ; he is so lovely ! " Before, it 
was all try with him. He had tried and tried again, and at last 
success crowned his efforts. Let the seeker be encouraged ; if 
difficulties rise, pray on and " go forward ; " if all seems dark, 
look to Jesus, and he will give you light; if you feel discouraged, 
" fear not," God is with you, " be not afraid; only believe, and all 
is well." " Seek ye the Lord while he may be found." 

" Oct. 18. Visited sick, wounded, dying. We had a very 
good, precious meeting of prayer, praise, and speaking ; prayers 
earnest, warm, tender, touching ; speeches earnest, tender, pow- 
erful, melting : many wept under one of them made by one 
who has just professed Christ, Said he, 'I feel ashamed of my 
levity in the ward : I have been a great swearer ; but now I have 
no disposition to swear ; I find it no trouble to keep from itj 
to swear now never comes into ray mind.' A few evenings be- 
fore, he said, ' ^e go out into the woods to pray often, and come 
back refreshed and blessed ; my heart seems all broken to pieces. 
I am thirty-eight years old, and I think it a great sin that I 
have spent so much time in Satan's service.' The soldiers and 



266 CHEISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

officers voted here on October 11, 1864. The following account 
will show more fully the religious interest at this time among 
the patients." 

A SOLDIER'S PRAYER-MEETING. 

"These meetings are always very interesting; but the meeting 
to-night, October 18, was one of more than ordinary interest and 
power. It was opened with singing, and reading the ninth 
chapter of Luke, accompanied with one or two pointed remarks 
by the chaplain, and again singing that good old hymn : 

' Come, we that love the Lord, 
And let our joys be known ! ' 

Then the meeting, as usual, was thrown open, and all invited to 
take part. After eight or ten warm, tender, earnest prayers for 
the sick, wounded, and dying in the hospital, for our civil and 
military officers, soldiers ' at the front,' for our Hospital church, 
and for the ' loved ones at home,' we had a few warm, earnest, 
heart-gushing speeches from Christian soldiers. 

" One stalwart soldier rose, and spoke of the importance of 
self-examination and fidelity. Said he, ' What we say here in 
these prayer-meetings is talked over and sifted by the hearers 
afterwards, therefore let us take heed what we say ; ' and urged 
all to stand fast, be firm, decided, rooted and grounded in love, 
and ' stand up for Jesus.' 

"Another spoke of the blessed privilege of attending the 
prayer-meeting, of his own happy experience, the bliss of heaven, 
and most earnestly and tenderly besought sinners to come to 
Christ. His thoughts seemed to soar to heaven and cluster 
around the throne of God. He seemed very happy, and one who 
lives nigh to God. In prayer he was very earnest, and seemed 
to get very near the throne. 

" Another spoke of the chaplain, and said, ' I wish M^e were 
all under him, that we might do as he bids us,' and said, ' If we 
hear him, how much more should we hear our great High-Priest, 
Jesus Christ, who pleads and intercedes for us.' Going on in a 
very warm, earnest manner, spicing his speech with an occasional 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 267 

shout of ' Glory be to God ! ' he closed, earnestly beseechhig sin- 
ners to come to Jesus. 

" Another said, ' It is but a short time since I set out to serve 
God, and I find it good to serve him, and would most heartily 
recommend it to all.' 

" Another young convert said, ' A few months ago I came to 
this hospital very sick of the fever: the doctors gave me up; but 
J got well, and here I found the Saviour several weeks ago, and 
immediately enlisted in his service. Although my praying com- 
rades have ceased to go with me to the bushes to pray, I still go 
by myself. I find it very refreshing.' He said, ' I went to a tent 
of colored soldiers, and asked one if he would like to have a little 
book ? He said " Yes." I gave him one. I asked him if he was a 
(Christian ? " No," he replied ; I told him to pray, and look to 
Jesus. I went next day, and found him rejoicing in believing.' 
George spoke with much warmth and earnestness, and closed by 
urging sinners to come to Christ. 

" But the speech that seemed almost to melt the whole con- 
gregation into tears, was from one who liad just been converted. 
A few evenings ago he rose and said, ' I came up here to-night to 
ask an interest In your prayers ; something has touched my heart, 
and I see and feel I am a great sinner, and wish to become a 
Christian ; I have been reading my Bible and trying to pray. 
To-night I renew my request. Brethren, I hope you will all 
])ray for me. I have been a great swearer ; but now I find no 
difficulty in keeping from swearing, but feel condemned for my 
levity in joking with "the boys" in the ward. To swear now. 
never comes into my mind. My heart is all broken into pieces. 
Oh, brethren, pray for me ! ' He sat down trembling with deep 
emotions, all bathed in tears. His speech was short, simple, 
earnest, powerful ; coming from the heart, it reached the hearts 
of many, and brought tears to their eyes. It was good to be 
there. 

"Nov. 6, 1864. After morning devotions, buried the dead; 
nine in all. A rebel soldier sent for me to come and pray with 
him. I went. He seemed very penitent, and anxious about his 
salvation ; has a deep sense of his sins ; wept freely ; prays, but 



268 CIIRISTIAXITY IN THE AVAR. 

seems to think he is not a Christian, yet he acts a good deal like 
one. Preached in a ward of colored patients this evening; and 
visited New Camp, and found a number of colored soldiers in 
need of clothing. 

" Nov. 8. After burying nine soldiers, canvassed the wards as 
Tisual. Met one colored patient, who said, ' When I try to pray, 
my heart wanders away from me : I never saw the beat of it ; I 
never saw the beat of it ! ' On my asking a colored soldier why 
so many chose to serve Satan rather than Christ? he said, 'It 
is easier to serve Satan.' ' What ! is Satan's yoke easier than 
Christ's ? ' ' Yes ; it is easier for the sinner.' ' Very true, it is 
always easier to swim down stream than up ; yet, when you 
throw off Satan's yoke and put on Christ's, it is much easier to 
wear Christ's.' " 

CATHOLICS TURNING PROTESTANTS. 

"To-day, Nov. 10, 1864, two fine-looking German Catholics 
came to my room to have a talk about Jesus and the Protestant 
religion, and to consult about joining our Hospital union church. 
They came from my wing of the hospital. After an interesting 
interview with them in their ward, they united with the church, 
and gave good evidence of a change. They were always found 
at the prayer-meeting. Several Catholics united with our ' little 
flock.' The army is a good place to reach this class of people. 
I have often found them free to talk about the Saviour and the 
way of salvation. 

"Nov. 12. Preached to-day to the' patients and officers of the 
fourth division (colored) of the hospital ; they were all attention and 
deeply interested ; some few were very old men, contrabands ; 
two very low with disease. Gave out a few books, tracts, and 
papers ; they were very glad to receive them ; some can't read ; 
some quite well educated. This division, being about a mile 
from the head-quarters of the hospital, and being across Hampton 
Creek, is not visited much by the chaplain or delegates. Spirit- 
ually, it is a good deal neglected. 

" Nov. 16. Read a few Psalms and a little book called 'Ready.' 
Very good. Visited a wounded woman (brought from near Rich- 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 269 

mon J, with three children, in a tent by themselves), in company witli 
Rev. Mr. Crane, and two ladies from Norfolk. She was wounded, 
near Richmond, with a shell ; she is getting well. Preached in a 
tent of ward number twenty-four on Regeneration, and broke u]) 
two squads of card-playing. Visited wards numbers 12, 13, 14, 
15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 24, 25, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and 
canvassed the hearts of the sickest ones. 

'■ Xov. 19. Buried five. Visited wards numbers 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 
2, 1, 13, 12, and Gangrene Camp, where I found one suffering- 
colored soldier, in the last stages of life, covered all over with 
perspiration. Pointing him to the all-compassionate Saviour, 
and commending him to the God of all grace, with prayer and 
exhortation, we bid him a lixat farewell. I usually visited from 
five to eight hundred patients daily, always conversing with the 
most dangerous cases. ' Who is sufficient for these things ? ' ' O 
God, help me ! ' 

" Nov. 22. Buried ten soldiers, all in old graves out of which 
dead bodies had been exhumed and taken home. Warned a 
dying soldier to flee to Christ; read from (Mark x. 46,) story 
of the blind beggar ; urged him to fly to Christ at once ; prayed 
with much liberty. The Lord was with us and helped us. How 
solemn ! After visiting and canvassing a number of wards, 
wrote letters till eleven o'clock p.m. It keeps me very busy to 
bury the dead, and to watch, and learn, and keep a record of the 
dying. Mr. Cole, though careless heretofore, as I urged him to 
seek an interest in Christ to-day, he wept freely ; his last sands are 
doubtless running. I saw Sergeant Bullock weeping because he 
could not realize that change of heart he desired." 

CHRISTMAS DINNER. 

" Dec. 26. Visited patients as usual. Canvassed a while in 
New Camp. Read and prayed with an old man who said he had 
lieen guilty of all crimes but murder and theft. He seemed very 
anxious about his salvation now. Yesterday I preached a Christ- 
mas sermon to a very large, attentive audience in ward C, on the 
text, 'Glory to God,' Luke ii. 11. One fellow said, going home, 



270 CHRISTIAXITY IX THE WAR. 

' We had a good Christmas treat to-night.' The Cliristmas din- 
ner was a sumptuous affair. Through the patriotic liberality 
of the people at the North, we had some four hundred fine, fat 
turkeys, Avhich, together with other things in proportion, made 
up a splendid dinner for all the patients and officers of the hos- 
pital, in all some three thousand and five hundred. The soldiers 
enjoyed it very much. To get a good meal of turkeys, vegetables, 
etc., was to them a great treat. It was huge feeding. To brave 
men, who had undergone the asperities and hardships of army 
life so long, to enjoy such a rich feast was truly gratifying. 
Such scenes of festivity tend to break up the dull monotony of 
hospital life, inspire new life, refresh and encourage the sick and 
wounded. Many of the wards are richly festooned and most 
splendidly decorated with evergreens, pictures, banners, and flags. 
Fitted up with so much taste, to enter one would remind you 
of going into one of the fine halls in New York City. And 
early in the spring, the yards of several of the wards were fenced 
off", and sodded over and fitted up in fine style ; some of them 
as neat as the yard of the dwelling-house of any country gentle- 
man. In the beautiful yard of ward number nine you could see 
in large, beautiful letters of living green, ' Richmond fell 
April 4, 1865.' Others were adorned with shrubs and fragrant 
flowers and sweet roses, all tending to make the hospital more 
cheering and desirable to the patients." 

"THEY COULD ONLY SHOUT 'GLORY,' AND DIED," 

Said a brave, honest soldier while he lay on his bed in the 
hospital, raging with a scorching fever,, as he described our 
poor half-starved, dying, released prisoners, as they were carried 
from the rebel boat and again placed under the beautiful stripes 
of the dear old flag of the Union. " And did they shout glory ?" 
" Yes." And no wonder, after experiencing such a glorious de- 
liverance. If the pardoned convict, snatched from the disgrace 
of the gallows, cries, " glory." If the sinner, rescued from hell, 
would shout "glory," well might the prisoner released from the 
untold horrors of Andersonville. Having escaped the cruel 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE AVAR. 271 

revenge, the inexpressible sufferings and excruciating punish- 
ments of that awful place of torment, where starving heroes tried 
to keep soul and body together by eating dead dogs and food 
that had already passed from the stomach of other men, as those 
exchanged prisoners themselves stated they had done, it is no 
wonder they shouted " glory," even when in the agonies of death, 
when permitted to die under the glorious "stars and stripes." 
How sad and sickening the thought, to surviving friends, to 
know that a dear relative had lived through all the inhuman 
cruelties of that horrible place, and then die at last without see- 
ing home. Oh, the cruelties, horrors, and tortures of the rebellion ! 
Language fails to describe it. What an accumulation of crime, 
guilt, suffering, misery, cruelty, revenge, torture, starvation, 
death, and murder is embodied in that awful word Anderson- 
ville. The heart shudders and recoils at the very thought of it. 
Its very utterance wall always terrify and shock humanity. 

HOLIDAYS IN U. S. HOSPITAL. 

For a few weeks previous, the " Hampton Glee Club " had 
been preparing for a " Christmas concert," which came off on 
Christmas eve. It was a complete success. The spacious hall, 
finely decorated with flags and richly festooned with wreaths and 
circlets of pine and evergreens, and ornamented with luxurious 
berries, '' red, white, and blue," and all surmounted with the 
cheering inscription, " We come with songs to greet you," crowded 
to overflowing with some nine or ten hundred patients (soldiers), 
citizens, and officers, presented a sight grand and imposing. The 
clock strikes eight, and after a cheering " overture," the grand 
entertainment opens with the stirring strains of the glorious 
" Star-Spangled Banner," thrilling the whole audience. The 
Glee Club and others sung many patriotic, sentimental, and in- 
teresting songs most sweetly, which were very cheering and gra- 
tifying to the patients for whose benefit the concert was gotten 
up. That everybody enjoyed it richly was evident from the 
vociferous laughing, stamping, and clapping of hands. The hall 
being too small, hundreds could not get in ; yet, although it was 
quite cold, many on crutches stood outside and listened to the 



272 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

enchanting music, interspersed with animating interludes by the 
orchestra. 

The Christmas dinner was decidedly rich and good. With a 
few fat pigs, a large lot of chickens, and some four hundred or 
live hundred good turkeys, every patient, attach^, and officer in 
the hospital " fared sumptuously." The patients particularly 
were highly gratified. The rich pies and cakes, together witii 
tlie abundant supply of porter and ale, seemed almost to make 
many of them forget they were in a hospital. Besides our 
prayer-meetings, we had two Christmas sermons. With some 
three thousand patients in all, in the hospital, some one thousand 
go out to the dining-hall for their meals ; the rest eat in their 
wards, many of which are finely decorated and festooned, pre- 
senting an appearance for beauty almost equal to a city drawing- 
room. 

The rich dinner, and the concert, with some variations, were 
repeated on New Year's day. 

The mortality in this hospital is rapidly decreasing. Out of 
some three thousand patients, only seventeen died last week, which 
is the least for one week during the last six months. 

WEEK OF PRAYER. 

This commenced last night with an encouraging prospect. It 
opened with reading the seventh chapter of Matthew, accom- 
panied with appropriate remarks by Chaplain E. P. Roe. There 
was a good feeling. It was good to be there. To-night the 
meeting was opened with praise and reading part of the second 
chapter of Acts, 'with remarks upon the great revival recorded 
there, its extent, depth, power, and influence, and the agency and 
means by which it was brought about. Deep interest to-night. 
The prayers and speeches were warm, pointed, earnest. Many 
in tears, and seemed filled with the Holy Ghost. The patients 
came with wounded heads tied up, and some on crutches. 

THE LORD'S SUPPER 

Was administered to-day, January 8, 1865, in the chapel at 
Chesapeake Hospital. Chaplain Marshall preached the action 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 273 

sermon on the text, " What mean ye by this service ? " With 
eight ministers present, some seventy-five persons, soldiers, ma- 
trons, and officers communed. The service was deeply solemn 
and interesting. While our comrades were pouring out their 
l)lood, battling for victory, upon the gory field at the front, here, 
beside the flowing tide of Hampton Roads, we were permitted 
to celebrate the victory of Calvary. With brave men dying 
around us, and God's eye upon us, bathed in tears, we com- 
memorated the dying love of Jesus. Oh, what a great privilege! 

"How sweet and awful was the place, 
With Christ within the doors." 

While thousands around us were sealing their attachment to their 
country with their blood, here, amidst the groans of the sick, 
wounded, and dying, by renewed vov/s, we sealed ours to the 
Saviour. This was the only privilege of this kind we enjoyed 
during our time of service in the army. The suffused eye and 
the deep solemnity pervading all present indicated God's gra- 
cious presence. It was refreshing to the soul, and we believe 
many went away strengthened and better prepared for battling 
in the great cause of liberty and truth. 

REVIVAL. 

The religious interest from this time onward, for a few weeks, 
seemed to increase rapidly, and on the evening of Jan. 9 we 
had a most precious meeting. " Many wept ; it was good to be 
there. The chaplain limited the meeting at the beginning to 
an hour, but God prolonged it to an hour and a half. It was a 
real time of refreshing. Several asked to be prayed for. We 
had one most powerful prayer. The people are getting waked 
up. 

"Jan. 10. Visited wards and canvassed as usual. Very heavy 
rains. I went through them to visit the sick. Constrained by 
a sense of duty, I can't omit it. Good prayer-meeting to-night. 
One man rose, and said, ' Last Sabbath night I began to pray for 
the first time in my life.' Interest increasing. The next even- 
ing I preached from Matt, xxvii. 46. Christ on the cross. The 
18 



274 cnnisTiANiTY in the war. 

congregation to-night was unusually large and veiy attentive. 
All was as solenni as the grave. After an interesting season of 
prayer, an invitation was given for persons to unite with the 
church, and a great many stayed in, deeply anxious, lingering 
around the gates of Zion. The prayer, ' O Lord, revive thy 
work,' is going up from many hearts. ' Come, Holy Spirit, come 
Avith all thy quickening powers.' 

"Jan. 13. Buried twelve dead. Prayed with Gibson at his 
request. He grasped my hand firmly and warmly, and strongly 
drew me close up to him, unwilling to let me go, exclaiming, 
' Oh, don't go away, chaplain, don't go away ! Can't you stay 
with me? Can't you stay and talk more about the blessed 
Saviour ? ' He seems very anxious, prayerful, and tender. I 
have been out late, often till after ten o'clock, every night for 
several months, laboring with the needy patients. The work is 
laborious, yet the cause is so noble and glorious, I like it. 
E,ev. JSIr. Bingham preached to-night from Acts xvi. 30: the 
case of the Philippian jailer — a very good, appropriate sermon, 
* What must I do to be saved?' The greatest and most import- 
ant question ever propounded to man. 

"Jan. 18. Buried three cart-loads of dead soldiers. Visited 
and canvassed several wards, and preached in ward four. And 
after conversing a while with one who is a Roman Catholic, he 
said, ' Your sermon last night did my soul good.' A ward-master 
said to-night, ' I would give a hundred dollars to quit swearing. 
Yes, I would give my arm.' ' And well you might. The 
Saviour says, " If thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast 
it from thee ; for it is profitable for thee, that one of thy mem- 
bers should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast 
into hell." Yea, you had better give your life than utter a single 
oath. But you can, if you will, quit it on a far cheaper plan. 
If you feel unable of yourself to quit it, go to God, ask for 
strength, and he will enable you to quit it. Ask, and you shall 
receive.' 

"Jan. 19. Visited hospital transport from Fort Fisher, 
with two hundred and seven wounded patients, — most of them 
wounded but slightly ; only about twenty or twenty-five stretcher 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 2/0 

cases. They all seemed very jubilant over the g;h)i'Ious victory 
achieved ; even those who were mortally wounded, you could 
see their eyes Hashing with patriotic fire, and their brave hearts 
throbbing with heroic devotion to their country. Although they 
had just come out of a hard hand-to-hand fight, they were all still 
full of fight. The bullets flew so thick that it seemed they would 
strike one another in the air. Thank God for the fall of Fort 
Fisher. The worst cases were put in ward C ; and, as I went in 
a few days after to preach to them, I found them singing, * My 
country,' all full of courage. Several of them died shortly after. 

"Jan. 21. It rained very heavily all day; sometimes it liter- 
ally poured down. Yet I visited and canvassed ten or twelve 
wards as usual, but I got most awful wet and muddy — wetter 
than I have been for ten years. Saw and conversed with two 
men nigh unto death, and pointed them to Him whose blood 
cleanseth from all sin." 

But one of our most precious and powerful meetings was on 
the evening of January 14th. It was a meeting of the church 
members and anxious inquirers. In my diary I described it in 
these words : " We had a Melting Meeting to-night in ward C." 
A more full account of it will be found in the followins letter. 



REVIVAL IN A HOSPITAL. 

Fortress Monroe, February 4, 1865. 

Messrs. Editors: The " Week of Prayer" here has turned 
out to be a month of prayer. Beginning with the first of January, 
our prayer-meetings, excepting a few nights' interruption by the 
arrival of new patients, have been continued to this date. The 
attendance, mostly soldiers, has been at times very large, reaching 
about six hundred one evening. Pi-eaching occasionally, the 
exercises have been prayer, exhortation, and praise. We labor 
under great inconveniences for want of a comfortable house to 
meet in. We meet now in the dining-hall, without any fire ; and 
although all is cold and freezing without, the suffused eye, earnest 
])rayer, and warm, earnest exhortation evinced that there is fire 
MMthin. Here the soldier, upon his crutches and with his 
wounded head tied up, drags his maimed body to sing and pray. 
Our " Hospital Union Church," organized September 9, 1864, 



276 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 

with thirty members, now numbers about two hundred and ten. 
Over one hundred united during the month of January, and 
" still they come ! " Conversions are frequent. 

Laboring most of the time in Hampton Hospital, or Division 
No. 1, chaplained by the Rev. E. P. Roe, we endeavor now to 
get the "spiritual diagnosis" of every patient coming into the 
hospital. This is a very good plan. To canvass the heart stirs 
tlie soul, and often leads men to repentance. The patients are 
generally very free to talk about religion. Many seem to be in- 
quiring, " What to do to be saved ? " 

soldier's prayer-meeting. 

It was on a Saturday night, and a meeting of the church mem- 
bers and anxious inquirers. The meeting was opened by reading 
from John xv., followed with prayer, and a few warm and tender 
remarks by the chaplain, and we had a " warming time of re- 
freshing." After singing that good old stirring hymn, 

"Stand up, my soul, shake off thy fears, 
And gird the gospel armor on,"' 

tlie meeting was thrown open, and all invited to take part in 
.speaking or praying, as they felt. The first speech was by an 
ohi soldier of the cross, lately from the North. Requested by the 
chaplain, with his white locks overhanging his time-worn cheeks, 
lie laid off his over -coat, and slowly rose and spoke tenderly of 
the prayers and sympathies of the North in behalf of the soldiers, 
whom he earnestly besought; to be faithful ; and, trying to ini- 
])ress them with their great responsibility, he says to them, " You 
are the bulwarks of the nation. Upon your fidelity hangs the pro- 
tection and salvation of the country." His closing remark was, 
" Remember, Thou, God, seest me ! " 

He was followed by the prayer of a young convert, who said 
" To-night he had won one poor sinner to Christ." We all joined 
in praise. 

Then another aged Christian rose, and spoke of God's goodness 
to him, and confessed he had " wandered away a little from the 
ISuviour ; but to-night I feel my spiritual strength renewed." 
Urging with tenderness all to be faithful, he asked to be prayed 
for, and sat down. 

Another rises, and says : " I feel happy to-night, and thank 
God for what he has done for my soul. Though a professor for 
seven years, I felt myself lost when I came here last spring." 
Expressing much anxiety about and gratitude for praying friends 
at home, he sat down, shouting, " Glory be to God ! " 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 277 

Another says, " I was converted three weeks ago, in ward 
seven, lying on ray sick-bed; " and thanking God for what he 
had done for him, and requesting to be prayed for, sat down. 

Another, who, a little while ago "was a great swearer," spoke 
with much feeling about his man-fearing spirit, and his determi- 
nation hereafter, through grace, to overcome it, and be more faith- 
ful. " When we consider the greatness of God," said he, " what 
is the fear of a man? Nothing more than a floating thistle in 
the air." Requesting all to pray for hitn, he sat down bathed in 
tears. 

Another expressed his surprise at so few being Christians, 
when we consider the vastness of Christ's love, and what great 
things he has done for us. Closing with the importance of every 
Christian showing his colors, and letting his light shine, he illus- 
trated the fact by the little drummer-boy, who checked and 
silenced profanity, gambling, and carousing on a steamboat, 
simply by kneeling in silent prayer in their presence before he 
went to bed. " Fellow-soldiers," said he, " let us raise our colors 
a little higher." 

Then a boy rose, and said, " I have resolved to seek the Lord, 
and be a Christian. I ask an interest in your prayers." 

Another visitor, from the North, said, " I was converted 
February 2, 1835, at nine o'clock at night. I recollect the 
circumstance very well. The Spirit of God has been running 
and burning all through me here to-night." He closed by urg- 
ing the little boy who preceded him, the chaplain, soldiers, and 
all, to be faithful, and God will reward us. 

Another said, " I would not be ashamed to confess Christ, and 
stand up for his cause, before the world. I hope always so to live 
that I may win souls to God." He said the fear of man is 
nothing. 

Many others spoke, all saying, " I feel within me that God 
has blessed my soul, and that it is good to serve him." Nearly 
every one sat down with the request, " Pray for me." It was 
truly a time of refreshing. The gushing sigh, the penitential 
tear, stirring exhortation, and the earnest prayer, all evinced that 
" The Lord of hosts was with us." 

The deep religious interest pervading many of the patiente 
was manifested by their coming to converse with the chaplains 
about their salvation. On Feb. 6, 1865, after I had closed my 
sermon in ward twenty -seven, on " halting," a young soldier 
stepped up to me, weeping profusely, and said, " I ask an interest 



278 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

in your prayers. I feel I am a great sinner ; and I have been 
j)raying and feeling so about three days. I have a praying mother. 
I have the heart disease, and am liable to be called away any time." 
Urging him to give his heart to God, I walked round with him, 
pointed him to Christ, and by the mercies of God besought him 
to come to Jesus at once, without any preparation. Invoking 
the blessing of God to rest upon him, we bid him a hearty 
good-by. 

" Feb. 10. Visited a very sick man in ward thirteen. Found 
him expressing a bright hope. He said, with deep earnestness, 
' I am ready,' in an emphatic tone. He sent for me yesterday. 
I went, read, sung, and prayed with him. Read and wrote a lot 
of letters ; visited and canvassed ten wards ; had a long talk with 
a swearing soldier in ward twenty-eight, endeavoring to ex- 
])ose the folly and sin of profanity, and urged him to quit it. 
A\'^hile leading the regular prayer-meeting to-night, I was called 
away to visit a dying man, and, upon entering the ward, found 
it was Akin, referred to above. He was still able to converse, 
and, in a firm and distinct manner, he said, ' I am happy, happy ! 
My religion is built upon a sure foundation. I mean it. God 
has got me. Tell my wife I died happy.' He died that night. 

" Feb. 15, 1865. Yesterday we received four hundred and 
sixteen patients from Point of Rocks, Va. Held the regular 
hemiweekly prayer-meeting to-night in ward eleven because 
the dining-hall is so cold, there being no fire in it. Mr. Plumb, 
private of 4th Mass. Cavalry, made us a very good, religious 
talk. There is an advantage in meeting in the wards for prayer. 
Here we get the lame, the maimed, and the halt. To-day we 
buried the remains of Thomas Smith, of the 32d Co. of Veteran 
Reserve Corps. The funeral was unusually large, as nearly all 
of that corps present attended. The Hampton Hospital brass 
band graced the funeral with deep-toned notes of mourning. 
To-day I received a visit from Gen. Curtis at my room. The 
general is just so far recovered from his severe wound, received 
at the ' capture of Fort Fisher, as to begin to go out a little 
around the hospital. He is lively, entertaining, and pleasant, 
and has proved himself a brave soldier in the fierce, bloody 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 279 

conflict at Fort Fisher. Though he lost an eye, he nobly per- 
formed his part in achieving that very important victory which 
cut the rebels' communication with Richmond, and did so much 
toward hastening the downfall of the rebellion." 



CHAPTER XVII. 

MISCELLANEOUS FACTS. 

Celebration of Washington's Birthday — Religious Interesi 
IN New Camp — Soldiers' Entertainment — The Fall of Rich- 
mond — Unbounded Rejoicing — Lee's Surrender — Death of 
President Lincoln — Largest Interment — Dedication op New 
Hospital Chapel — Arrival of Fort Fisher Wounded. 

CELEBRATION OF WASHINGTON'S BIRTHDAY. 

THIS memorable day Avas celebrated with much enthusiasm, 
by the patients and officers of the hospital, in the " Govern- 
ment schoolhouse," hard by the hospital, erected by the Govern- 
ment, under the direction of Gen. Butler, for uie education of the 
colored children. On the morning of the 22d of February, the 
people began to get ready, and by half-past one o'clock a large 
procession was formed, near ward four, and marched to the school- 
house under the direction of Pr. Wolverton, assistant surgeon of 
tlie U. S. A., headed by the band, surgeons, and chaplains of the 
liospital. All comfortably seated in the spacious hall, the exer- 
cises were opened by the stirring strains of " Red, \yhite, and 
Blue," by the hospital band, followed with an appropriate prayer 
by Rev. Mr. Dinsmoro of the Christian Commission. The 
meeting was addressed by Chaplains Billingsley, Marshall, and 
Raymond, and Mr. Plumb, of the 4th Mass. Cavalry, with fre- 
quent marks of applause. "With an audience of some twelve 
hundred, composed of soldiers with eyes sparkling with patriotism, 
and a few ladies, with a small sprinkle of colored folks, with the 



280 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

hospital band conspicuously seated in the rear of the stand, — all 
surmounted by the glorious " stars " of Washington and " stripes " 
of the Union ! — the scene presented was truly grand and im- 
posing. And when we remember that we were standing upon 
the soil of old Virginia, which, for two hundred and forty-five 
long years, had been watered with the sweat and blood of slaves, 
millions of whom are now alive and free, and thousands of them 
standing around us to-day, the grandeur and glory of the scene 
were much increased. And what added still more to the in- 
terest and glory of that auspicious day and the exercises of the 
occasion, was, that we were standing almost within sight of the 
shade of the tomb of him whose birthday we were celebrating, 
and hard by a whipping-post, tied to which many a slave had 
received the bloody lashes from an unmerciful master. Cheered 
by the enchanting music of the hospital band, although we were 
surrounded with the dead and dying, the meeting was a perfect 
success ; and the patients returned to their respective quarters 
cheered and encouraged, and better prepared to do and to suffer 
in the great cause of humanity and truth. 

RELIGIOUS INTEREST IN NEW CAMP. 

Being now full, February 18, 1865, New Camp contained 
some eleven hundred colored patients, all comfortably situated in 
good tents ; and, being without a suitable place to meet in, they 
liad but little preaching; hence they engaged more in social wor- 
ship. It was on a cold frosty evening in February, while I was 
visiting the suffering patients in the lonely Gangrene Camp, that 
my ear was greeted with the voice of prayer and praise in the 
direction of New Camp. As I approached the unlit tents, 
the sound grew louder and louder until, reaching the interior of 
the camp, I was agreeably surprised to find jirayer-meetings, 
nearly all led by colored men, going on in eight or ten different 
tents at the same time. What a flame of thanksgiving, prayer, 
and praise ascended from the hearts of those earnest suppliants ! 
To see so many, now disabled to fight with the sword, wielding 
the sword of the Spirit, and the more powerful weapon, prayer, 
for the deliverance of the country and for the salvation of her 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 281 

defenders, was truly encouraging ! Ground down so long with 
the iron heel of slavery, and now, with their shackles knocked 
oif, and elevated to the rank and honor of United States soldiers, 
fighting for liberty and union, they were full of gratitude and joy ; 
and their thanksgiving and rejoicing were much increased, because 
their emancipation and promotion were given, as they believed (and 
doubtless it was so), in answer to their prayers ! Approaching one 
of their tents, I saw a man standing outside, attentively listening 
to the gushing prayers and praises within. " Why don't you go 
in ? " I said to him. Looking very solemn and anxious, he replied, 
" I am lookin' for a good nieetin' to go to." He waited patiently 
and listened very attentively, as one sable soldier of the cross, with 
no light in the tent, gave out the hymn " line upon line; " and 
they all joined in singing it very impressively. He threatened 
to go in, but I left him standing there. In several of the tents 
they had no light; but with their souls lit up by God's light- 
giving Spirit, richly endued with 'the spirit of prayer, and deeply 
impressed with the importance of the subject, they sung and prayed 
with great power, even as though they felt, " I will not let thee 
go, except thou bless me." Simple-minded in their nature and 
habits, with a limited knowledge of the doctrines of the cross, 
they possess fewer ideas about religion than white folks ; but what 
they have, seem to take a deep hold upon their hearts and to make 
a deep impression upon their minds. They seem to know nothing 
about doubting God and his word. Hence, they pray with a child- 
like simplicity and a noble familiarity with God, peculiar to them- 
selves. And going to God thus, "without wrath, nothing doubt- 
ing, they seem to get very near the throne, and couching their 
petitions in the strongest terms, enforced by arguments powerful, 
touching, and convincing, they prayed with wonderful eifect." A 
servant was once asked by his master, " Tom, how is it that you 
are always so happy, and I am so miserable?" "Oh, massa, me 
fall right flat down on de promises, and prays right up. Me is 
happy in de Lord. You, massa, don't pray, nor trust in de Lord; 
dat's what makes you so miserable, massa." But to proceed with 
the prayer-meetings. Passing by and looking in, we often found 
them conducted by colored men, who were so familiar with the 



282 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

liymns they sung, that they lined them out without a candle. They 
all seemed to enjoy it very much. The impressiveness of their 
singing, and the fervor of their prayers, were enough to melt the 
hardest heart. These prayer-meetings were kept up every night 
for a long time, with much interest. 

This division of the hospital was chaplained by Eev. Dr. 
Charles Raymond, U. S. A., who, having charge of the public 
schools of that region, failed to give that attention to the patients 
they deserved ; hence I visited them when I could, jind with them 
I had many very interesting interviews on experimental religion. 
We often found the colored soldier giving an evidence of a depth 
of piety that would shame many white Christians. Original and 
peculiar in their modes of thought and expression, they would 
" get off" some most striking'and interesting things. Speaking 
right out from the heart, they frequently became very eloquent 
and powerful, reaching the heart and stirring the soul of every 
listener. It was a privilege to hear them. Dr. Raymond 
preached to them occasionally. He had clerks and religious 
men from the hospital appointed to visit the sickest patients, 
learn their spiritual condition, get their last words and dying 
messages of those that died, and send them home to their friends. 
The delegates of the Christian and Sanitary Commissions did a 
good work in this camp, both in religious instruction and sup- 
plying the temporal wants of the patients. They furnished the 
patients with a good supply of papers and religious reading, and 
spelling-books and readers for those wishing to learn to read. A 
large ward of this camp was occupied with confederate prisoners, 
who received the same fare as our own men. When this camp 
was first opened, it was occupied with white patients from our 
• own army. Here many of them suffered and died ; some giving 
directions concerning their bones. After a while they were all 
taken to division number one, usually called Hampton Hospital; 
and then New Camp was occupied exclusively by colored pa- 
tients until July 5, 1865, when it was abandoned entirely, and 
the patients moved to division number one. For several months 
this camp was well supplied with faithful matrons, through whose 
tender kindness doubtless the life of many a soldier was saved. 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 283 



SOLDIERS' ENTERTAINMENT. 

What was it? A meeting of rejoicing over tlie late victory 
acliieved by our armies upon the field of battle. It was the fourth 
of INIarcli, the day Abraham Lincoln wjis reinaugurated Presi- 
dent of the United States. Upon a short notice, the spacious 
old dining-hall was full before it was dark. At the hour aj)- 
pointed, Chaplain Marshall and myself went over; and the hall 
was so densely crowded that we found it difficult to make our 
way through to the stand : such was the desire among the pa- 
tients to witness and participate in the entertainment. Upon 
uttering the words, '' Please, come to order," all was calm and 
(piiet; and after the audience was entertained with cheering music 
by the hospital band, the exercises were opened with an appro- 
l)riate prayer by Chaplain Marshall. After a short introductory 
speech by the writer, Mr. Marshall entertained the jubilant 
crowd with an interesting address; recounting acts of heroism, 
inspiring the brave soldiers with fresh courage to go on doing 
and suffering in the great conflict before us. At the close of his 
remarks, we were again cheered by the enchanting music and 
the facetious remarks of two private soldiers. Corporal Cook, 
of the Veteran Reserves, and Sergeant Plumb, of the 4th Mass. 
Cavalry. Got up in a hurry, the entertainment was a perfect 
success. The patients all seemed highly pleased, and all repaired 
at the close to their respective quarters, strengthened and en- 
couraged. 

THE FALL OF RICHMOND — UNBOUNDED REJOICING. 

"The year of jubilee is come! Let the earth rejoice!" 
Of all scenes of rejoicing since the beginning of the war, that 
over the fall of Richmond excels all. When all was moving on 
as usual in the hospital, all of a sudden, about half-past eleven 
o'clock A.M., we received the glorious news that the rebels had 
fired and evacuated the rebel capital, and that Gen. Weitzel, 
commanding the 25th army corps (colored), had entered and 
taken possession about eight o'clock a.m., on April 3, 1865. 
The word was sent up from the fort by Dr. McClellan, and soon 



284 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 

spread like wild-fire all over the hospital, and such exhibitions 
of heart-felt rejoicing were seldom if ever witnessed. Convales- 
cents at work in the field threw up their hats and cheered most 
heartily. Everybody was all alive with enthusiastic rejoicing ; 
vociferous cheer after cheer rolled from the gushing hearts of 
large crowds of patients and officers assembled at head-quarters, 
while the hospital band made everything ring with their en- 
chanting music. But the crowning act of the occasion was an 
old colored man raising his hands and shouting aloud, "Glory to 
God in the highest ! " to which many responded with a hearty 
" Amen ! " With this stirring clap of applause, we dispersed for 
dinner, and met again, at the call of the surgeon-in-charge, at 
night in the dining-hall, where we had a most enthusiastic season 
of rejoicing. The meeting w^as addressed by Dr. McClellan, Dr. 
Crane, Medical Director at Fortress Monroe, and by Chaplains 
Raymond, Roe, Marshall, and Billingsley, and others. Graced 
with the thrilling music of the hospital band, with an audience 
of some ten or twelve hundred, all passed off very orderly. 
Feeling that with the downfall of Richmond the rebellion was 
virtually quelled, the slave freed, the effusion of blood stayed, 
and the country saved, we knew not how enough to thank Go<l 
and the army and the navy for the great and glorious victory 
achieved. 

LEE'S SURRENDER. 

But our highest note of rejoicing was reserved for Lee's sur- 
render. We received the news about midnight, April 10, 1865. 
Immediately the band strikes up music, and hundreds of us, 
being waked up by the loud cheering, rose to rejoice, and in a 
few minutes the whole hospital was all on tiptoe with the most 
enthusiastic jubilation. Loud, prolonged cheering and shouts of 
" glory to God " burst forth from every heart. " Thank God, the 
battle is fought and the victory won ! " was the pervading senti- 
ment of all. Language failed to give expression to the deep 
emotions of gratitude and rejoicing. The effect was ahnost over- 
whelming. Everybody seemed almost lost in the grandeur, glory, 
and importance of the victory achieved. Even the aged gray- 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 285 

headed matrons rose after miduiglit to give thanks to God^ and 
mingle their hearts and voices over the downfall of the rebellion. 
And being so highly elated with the importance of the occasion, 
the old band came up from the fort to unite in the jubilations of 
the auspicious day; and while the jubilant crowd was standing 
upon the porch of the Chesapeake, listening to the stirring music, 
Dr. Rush, Surgeon U. S. Vol., was .called upon for a speech ; but 
he said, " It is not a time for speaking : the effect is too deep ; 
it is a time to rejoice ! " Whereupon the writer was called upon 
for a speech ; but, being so deeply impressed with the importance 
of the event, that he was only able to say, after alluding to the 
grandeur, glory, and importance of the victory achieved, that 
" the war is over, the slave is freed, the effusion of blood is stayed, 
the rebellion quelled, the Union preserved, the devil whipped, 
the country saved, and God glorified ! " It was received with 
liearty cheering. Some of the men and officers indulged a little 
in " old rye," which seemed to increase the jollification. I was 
very hardly pressed to drink, but I resisted every temptation. 
The jubilation was kept up until daylight, and all through 
the next day, and until we received the sad news of Lincoln's 
assassination, w^hen all most suddenly were thrown into the 
deepest mourning, lamentation, and woe. 

DEATH OF TRESIDENT LINCOLN. 

"April 14. Spent the day in visiting the sick and wounded, 
and pointing them to Jesus, and entreating them to repent, and 
in Mriting letters. Buried the dead ; four loads. Preached in ward 
one to a very attentive congregation. Visited a boat-load of 
three hundred patients, brought down this evening from near 
Jlichmond ; two boat-loads brought down yesterday with several 
very severely wounded. The stream of death is rising in the 
hospital, and it requires close watching to keep run of his 
ravages. Five ^)rave heroes have died from wounds in ward 
twenty-two since the capture of Richmond. 

" April 16. Sabbath. Chaplain Roe and myself both spoke 
to-niijht on the death of President Iviucoln : Mr. Roe from Psalm 



286 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 

xlvi. 1. I urged the people not to despair ; God will protect us. 
The congregation was the largest I ever saw in the hall, — some 
eight hundred; meeting very solemn and impressive; many 
wept " 

LARGEST INTERMENT. 

"Ten patients died yesterday. We buried twenty-nine to-day 
(April 20) ; six cart-loads. There was an accumulation of corjjses 
in the dead-house, for want of coffins to bury them in. Funeral 
services at the graves unusually solemn and impressive. Read 
and spoke on the resurrection and general judgment. 'Great God 
have mercy on the dying soldiers ! Save them for Jesus' sake ! ' 
The above is the greatest number we buried in any one day dur- 
ing the war at Hampton Hospital. 

" May 2. Buried twelve. Preached in ward fifteen ; canvassed 
as usual ; went through rebel and gangrene camps, pointing the 
anxious to the cross, and warning the careless ' to flee the wrath 
to come.' Visited two confederate soldiers, who wept — one pro- 
fusely — as I talked to them about Jesus ; while I talked to one 
about other things, he seemed to feel not ; but when I touched 
upon the cross, his heart seemed to swell with emotions. He had 
been a colporteur for the American Tract Society." 

DEDICATION OF NEW HOSPITAL CHAPEL. 

The new Hospital chapel, for the want of which we labored 
for three years under great disadvantages, was dedicated to-day, 
July 16, 1865. Sixty feet long and thirty wide, with two large 
wings, — one for a library and reading-room, and the other for the 
chaplains' quarters, — with stained glass, and a small spire, it pre- 
sents quite a neat appearance. Rev. Mr. Tisdale, Agent of the 
U.S. Christian Commission at Fortress Monroe, Va., preached the 
dedicatory sermon from the prophecy of Jeremiah ; Chaplain Roe 
presided ; Chaplain Billingsley made the opening, and Chaplain 
Marshall the closing prayer upon the interesting and solemn 
occasion. The congregation was large and attentive. Mr. Roe, 
who has proved himself to be a very successful beggar in raising 
some twenty-five hundred dollars in the North, principally in 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 287 

New York and Brooklyn, to erect tins much needed house, soon 
after it was dedicated opened in it a day-school for the colored 
patients to learn to read, write, and cipher. The first day they 
had over one hundred scholars, all eager to learn. The hospital 
library contains some fifteen hundred volumes, many of which 
are large, fine, valuable, and suitable for the patients. 

ARRIVAL OF FORT FISHER WOUNDED. 

It was January 19, 1865, when a large steamer, hospital trans- 
port, arrived at the wharf, laden with two hundred and seven 
wounded braves, direct from the bloody field of Fort Fisher, 
North Carolina. Flushed with victory, though they came with 
arms and legs off, with limbs shattered, bones broken, and with 
bodies scarred and lacerated with rebel bayonets, and carrying 
rebel bullets within them, yet, with hearts throbbing with patri- 
otism and courage, and crowned with glory and honor, they were 
the most jubilant lot of patients we ever saw enter a hospital. 
Having just come out of a hard hand-to-hand fight, they were 
forgetful of their severe, mortal wounds, and conscious of the 
great victory achieved, they delighted to talk about it. In the 
language of the immortal Perry, they could say, " We have met 
the enemy, and they are ours." Enter the boat : there they lie, 
with their life-blood ebbing away, yet, patient and resigned, not 
a murmur falls from their lips. Having fought a good fight, and 
won crowns of glory, though their suiferings were great, they 
bore it all with heroic courage, without a word of complaint. 
But, alas ! for these brave heroes, though jubilant, and flushed 
with victory to-day, some are doomed to die to-morrow; having 
just triumphantly fought one battle, they are soon to fight an- 
other; having just vanquished one enemy, some are soon to 
vanquish another; having just won one glorious victory, they 
are soon to win another more glorious, even victory over death, 
the last enemy, and go down to the grave crowned with all the 
glories of martyrdom ; for it was but a few hours ere we saw 
some grappling with death, and, " having fought a good fight," 
gave shouts of victory. Thus, dying for their country, sealing 



288 • CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

the bonds of Union with their blood, they have left the scene of 
conflict ; gone forever, gone from the field of battle, by way of 
Fortress Monroe, home to glory, to swell the victor's song of 
redeeming love around the throne of God forever. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

BOMBARDMENT OF FORT FISHER. 

The Wounded Arrive at the Hospital — They are Very Jubi- 
lant — Admiral Porter commands the Fleet — "The World 
Never Saw such Fighting" — The Scene Awfully Grand and 
Sublime — Great Slaughter op Sailors — Awful Hand-to- 
Hand Fight for Hours — The Surrender — Buoyant Wounded 
FROM Richmond — Dying that the Nation might Live — Hos- 
pital Variety Monotonous — Desire to go Home. 

BUT we cannot drop these brave heroes without giving a 
brief sketch of the terrible fight in the capture of Fort 
Fisher, of which, said Admiral Porter, " The world never saw 
such fighting as our men' did." It was on Friday morning, 
January 13, 1865, about four o'clock, while the pale moon shone 
brightly upon the placid ocean, that the signal, " get up," flashed 
from the flag-ship by the firing of a gun, and reverberating 
tiiroughout the vast fleet, bid the slumbering thousands rise and 
prepare for the solemn, important work of the day. In a mo- 
ment the reveille is beating, soldiers and sailors are rising, and 
in a few minutes the entire squadron is all in action. Breakfast 
being over at five o'clock, the sagacious admiral cries out, " Get 
under loay,^^ and the whole fleet weigh anchor, spread sail, get 
up steam, and by the first dawn of day the whole armada Avas 
in motion. At a quarter before seven, the admiral gives another 
signal, and cries out, " Form line of battle ! " Whereupon the 
Brooklyn, bearing twenty -six guns, together Math twelve other 
boats, carrying in all one hundred and sixteen guns, moved u}> 
about three and a half miles above Fort Fisher, near the Half- 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 289 

moon Battery, to clear out by shelling a place for the landing of 
the troops, and ordered to prepare for action, and soon began to 
shell the adjacent beach. Meanwhile five iron-clads were thrown 
into position, three-fourths of a mile, and the monitors half a 
mile from the fort, and opened upon it with a most galling fire, 
with a terrible eifect, with an occasional shot from the fort. 
About nine o'clock some four thousand men, assisted by the boats, 
were landed, and planted their flag upon one of the highest sand- 
hills, amidst the hearty cheering of gazing thousands of the fleet, 
panting for victory. Not an enemy could be seen. 

The bombardment now becomes general, and by four o'clock 
p. M., the admiral orders the vessels in the line of battle number 
one to take their position, and join the bombardment; where- 
upon fourteen vessels, led by the Brooklyn, carrying in all one 
hundred and thirty-six guns, sallied forth fully primed for the 
mighty conflict. Following in i-apid succession was an order to 
the second line of battle to take their position and join the bom- 
bardment ; and immediately it moved forward with seven of the 
largest wooden gunboats (in the service), led by the Minnesota, 
with fifty-two, and in all one hundred and seventy-six guns. 
There they are, with three hundred and twelve guns, together 
with the iron-clads and monitors, all fully jfirimed, manned with 
buoyant hearts, thirsting for the deadly work. At twenty 
minutes before five, the whole fleet joined in the general bom- 
bardment. Now began one of the fiercest, most powerful and 
destructive cannonades the world ever saw. With one vast 
slieet of flame, for an hour and a half they poured in their 
enormous devouring shells at the rate of two hundred and forty 
per minute, dealing death and destruction among the ruthless 
entrenched rebels at every blow, and silenced the rebel guns at 
once. One fifteen-inch shell pierced a bomb-proof, and killed 
sixteen, and severely wounded twenty-five rebels. 

How thrilling the scene ! The vivid flash, the belching blaze, 
the tremendous roar, and the mighty torrent of balls and shells, 
together with the thick volumes of dust and smoke rising from 
the doomed fort, presented a scene of terrific grandeur and awful 
su])limity, beyond the power of language to describe ! It seemed 
19 



290 V CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

as if all the artillery of lieaven was let loose upon the (loomed 
crumbling fort! At ten minutes past six p.m. the general bom- 
bardment ceases, and the fort, with some three or four thousand 
shells and balls lodged in and about it, is reduced to a perfect 
]ni]p, and well prepared for an attack by land. Hitherto the 
fight, on our part, has been preparatory to the final assault. As 
yet, not a life has been lost, nor a drop of blood shed. But 
Sabbath, January 1 5, dawns with a clear sky and a placid ocean, 
and now comes the tug of war in earnest. During the night, the 
army forces, numbering some four thousand, commanded by 
Maj.-Gen. A. H. Terry, had gathered round the fort, anxiously 
waiting the signal to attack. The most perfect harmony exists 
between Admiral Porter, commanding the fleet, and Gen. Terry ; 
and though they were a mile apart during the assault, they con- 
versed by signs as the emergencies required. With some twenty- 
two hundred bloodthirsty rebels strongly entrenched in the 
])esieged fort, fully determined to conquer or die, encompassed 
by five thousand heroic braves thirsting for victory in the cause 
of God and the Union, how critical the moment ! Big with the 
fate of Fort Fisher, and the destiny of so many valuable lives, 
and the salvation of the country, how very important the crisis ! 
Gaze upon the tragic scene, swelling with importance, anxiety, 
and solemnity as the decisive hour approaches. With hundreds, 
it is the last Sabbath upon earth ; hundreds of hearts, now warm 
and gushing with patriotism and thirsting for glory and honor, 
are soon to lie cold in death. Oh, how thrilling and critical the 
hour ! " Great God, on what a slender thread hangs the destiny 
of immortal things ! " It is now eleven o'clock a. m., and the 
vast fleet again open, and continue firing upon the unfortunate fort 
most furiously for hours. Time flies : the crisis approaches ; and 
now, with all ready, at half-past three p.m. the signal is given, and 
the awful charge and fearful assault are made, and the mighty strug- 
gle begins. At this juncture, with a report louder than seven 
thunders, all the steam-whistles blow, and the gallant soldiers and 
sailors rush forward, each one nobly vying to reach the top of 
the parapet first. Two thousand brave sailors, led on by Capt. 
K. R. Breese, attack on the sea- front of the fort, and rushing. 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 291 

forward, apparently cletermiuecl to' take it by storm ; but on 
reaching the parapet, and there planting their colors, the rebels 
mistook tliem for the main body of the charge, and there concen- 
trating their force, repeatedly poured in upon them the most 
galling, destructive fires of grape and canister. The gallant 
heroes sallied three times, right in the jaws of death, but 
were swept away like chaff before the wind ; and finding their 
efforts were unavailing (with all the efforts of Capt. Breese, 
Lieuts. Gushing and Preston), they were compelled to give way 
amidst three loud rebel cheers, leaving some tw'o hundred of 
their number killed and wounded strewn round the fort. Mean- 
while three thousand heroic soldiers of the old 10th Corps, led 
on by the brave Gen. N. M. Curtis, 142d N. Y. Vol., under the 
immediate supervision of Gen. Terry, made the attack on the 
rear, and most difficult part of the fort, with complete success. 
Although the sailors failed in their attack, they did a good work 
in diverting the enemy from the attack on the rear by the troops, 
who, upon mounting the parapets and scaling the crumbling 
fort, and seeing the rebels driving the sailors, rushed in upon 
them, peppering their backs, and gave them one of the most de- 
structive fires ever discharged ; and then ensued one of the most 
lesperate, savage, and destructive hand-to-hand fights the world 



ever saw. It lasted seven hours. Both sides fought with perfect 
desperation. Fearless and determined to conquer or die. Gen. 
Terry entered the fort himself. Gen. Curtis coming in direct 
contact with the bloodthirsty rebels, slew them with his sword, 
and had one of his eyes put out in the fight. Col. Moore, 203d 
Pa. Vol., bearing the flag of his regiment, fearlessly rushed for- 
ward, and received several balls which laid him dead at once. On 
and on waged the terrible conflict. From traverse after traverse 
the ruthless rebels were driven back by our invincible heroes, 
fighting like lions. Col. Pennypacker, following Gen. Curtis 
closely in the assault, was severely wounded. Thus fiercely waged 
the awful conflict, until the blood-stained fort was strewn with the 
dead and dying. They fought on till ten o'clock at night, when 
the rebels were driven out and fled to Federal point, where Gen. 
Whitincr, commandino; the rebel forces, surrendered himself and 



292 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 

command unconditionally to Gen. Terry, the hero of Fort Fisher, 
about twelve o'clock. The rebel dead were estimated at five hun- 
dred ; our killed and wounded about nine hundred. Col. Bell, 
4th N. H., died the following morning. Lieuts. Preston and 
Porter, of the navy, were both killed. 

Soon after the fall of Richmond, we received a few boat-loads 
of patients from that region, many of whom were severely 
wounded, and coming from the field of carnage, laden with the 
spoils and glory of victory, they too were highly jubilant and 
full of rejoicing over the fall of the rebel capital and flight of 
Jeff Davis. Uplifted with the great victory achieved, and having 
so nobly done their part in achieving it, although a great many 
of them had left a limb or two and a great portion of their 
blood upon the gory field, yet conscious of the greatness and 
grandeur of the achievement, with hearts throbbing with heroic 
devotion to their country, although with many their life-blood 
was fast ebbing away, and with all the stern realities of eter- 
nity rising before them, still they were buoyant and cheerful. 
Having stood so many. charges and faced so many rebel cannon, 
yet trusting in the Lord, and dying for their country, they are 
not afraid to face death and eternity. To see so many mangled 
heroes, with sloughing stumps, bleeding wounds, and amputated 
limbs, strewn over a ward, lying upon their death -beds, and to 
look around and see this and that brave patriot struggling in the 
agonies of death, dying that the nation might live, deeply im- 
presses one with the horrors of war, with the great price of liberty, 
and the solemnity of death. We often received patients mangled 
all over with six or eight wounds, and so severe that they were 
unable to turn in bed, and yet with patience and good nursing 
they would get along and get well. Here lies a man, shot in the 
mouth, the ball passing out at the back of his neck ; yet he is so 
full of courage, he still lives, jovial and cheerful. 

HOSPITAL VARIETY MONOTONOUS. 

Notwithstanding the variety of the daily routine of hospital 
life; the reveille in the morning, and the tattoo in the evening; 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 293 

the daily carrying live, wounded men in, and the daily carrying 
dead men out, together with the stirring strains of music by the 
Hospital band, and the mournful notes of the death march at 
the soldier's funeral, with muffled drums, etc., yet, withal to the 
old incumbent, there was much dull monotony. Hence the 
strong desire among the jiatients for something n«w and excit- 
ing, and usually having on hand from ten to twelve hundred 
convalescents, it was no trouble to get up a large meeting almost 
any time. 

SOLDIERS GOING HOME. 

Since the fall of the rebellion, we have had a great rush of 
convalescents to this hospital, to be discharged ; and " I want my 
discharge papers and my pay " has been the ringing cry of the 
hospital for weeks. This is natural. Tired of hospital life, and 
anxious to see " the loved ones at home," everybody wants to go 
first. Hence the familiar " Good-by, Jim," and the warm fare- 
well shake of hands, are of constant occurrence ; and it is solemn. 
It is a farewell, perhaps, to meet no more on earth. And while 
they are going at the rate of one hundred a day, others here are 
going to their long home at the rate of four or five a day. A 
good many rebel prisoners have been brought in lately, and 
many of them being in a bad condition, they drop off rapidly. 
Many of them come with their Bibles and Testaments, which 
they have carried through the war ; and many of them seem to 
be religious men, and often ask to be prayed for, and desire to- 
hear religious service. J have seen many a one weep profusely on 
his death-bed, and give clear evidence of piety. The approach 
of death seems to knock rebellion out of them. Besides, a great 
many say they were driven into it, and always opposed it. 

When I was captured at Plymouth, N. C, they put our 
wounded in the same room with theirs ; and when I went in to 
see them, a young rebel lying near by, nigh unto death, called 
me to come and pray for him. I went, and he thanked me 
heartily, and died shortly after. While many are still rebels at 
heart, we think it an encouraging fact in reconstruction that so 



294 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

many seem to fear God. Many of them think Davis should be 
hung. 

We still have some three thousand convalescents and patients 
in the hospital, and more are expected soon. 



CHAPTER XIX. 
Lincoln's funeral. 



Lincoln's Funeral — Deep Feeling: Solemn, Impressive — The 
Author's Address at the Funeral — Sudden Change from 
Eejoicing to Weeping — His Death a Loss to the Entire 
World — National Grief Unspeakable — His Character — 
The Great Emancipator and Friend of the Slave — Self- 
Made — The Saviour of his Country — Religious Character: 
Brought up to Pray, and Eead the Bible — His Last Request : 
" Pray for me " — " I leave Myself, my Country, and All in 

the Hands of God." 

« 

LINCOLN'S FUNERAL. 

AT the suggestion of President Johnson, according to an order 
issued by Dr. McClellan, Assistant Surgeon U. S. A., in 
charge of the aforesaid hospital, some two thousand five hundred 
heart-smitten patients, officers, strangers, and citizens assembled, 
April 19, 1865, to participate in the n^xtional obsequies of the 
lamented President. The meeting, held in the open air, was 
peculiarly solemn and impressive. Filled with sorrow and an- 
guish, everybody turned out to mingle their tears with a nation 
crushed with grief under this most severe national bereavement. 
Every soldier and patient that could get out of bed and crawl 
was there. There they came, with amputated limbs, broken 
bones, tender wounds, and frail bodies, limping along on 
crutches, to unite in the solemn service, with hearts throbbing 
with grief over the loss of their beloved commander-in-chief. 
There, too, were hundreds of colored patients and people bathed 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 295 

in tears, wringing their hearts with grief over the invaluable 
loss of their best friend and great emancipator. There, too, M^ere 
two companies of the Veteran Reserves, in monrning attire, 
deeply lamenting the loss of the nation's savior. There, deeply 
impressed with the solemnity of the occasion, crushed with un- 
utterable grief, waiting beneath a shining sun until the hour 
appointed, when the exercises were commenced with a solemn 
dirge by the band, followed with the reading of suitable passages 
of Scripture, accompanied with a few appropriate introductory 
remarks by Chaplain Marshall ; whereupon Chaplain Billings- 
ley led the weeping assembly in prayer. After singing. Chap- 
lain Raymond followed with an able, appropriate address, ana- 
lyzing the character of Abraham Lincoln, and highly eulogizing 
his invaluable services to the country, "when Chaplain Billings- 
ley followed in a strain similar to the previous speaker," in the 
following speech. The exercises were concluded with brief re- 
marks and an appropriate prayer by Rev. Mr. Craighead, editor 
of the New York Evangelist, when the vast assemblage dispersed 
to their respective quarters, deeply impressed with the great loss 
and the solemnities of the memorable occasion. With the flags 
all hung at half-mast, business suspended, the hospital buildings 
draped in the deepest mourning, and every countenance clothed 
in sorrow and grief inexpressible, all nature seemed to present 
an aspect of lamentation and woe. The assassination of Abraham 
Lincoln was the greatest shock America, or the world, ever 
received. 

ADDRESS AT LINCOLN'S FUNERAL. 

How solemn and impressive this scene ! How deep and pungent 
the national sorrow! Although it is caused by one man's death, 
yet the impression is so deep, it seems as though there was one 
dead in every house. When Washington died, the grief and an- 
guish was very great and national ; but that stroke was not so 
severe as this. The circumstances are very different. Then the 
country was at peace ; to-day it is baptized with fraternal blood, 
with a martyred President in his coffin. How very sudden the 
change. Yesterday, the nation was all alive with rejoicing ; 



296 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

to-day, it is wrapped in the deepest mourning. Yesterday, 
all eyes were gleaming with joy ; to-day, millions are flash- 
ing with vengeance upon the treacherous, fiendish assassin. 
And is Abraham Lincoln dead? Is he no more? Though 
dead, he still lives. The bright example he left us, and the 
great good he done us, will live after him. The great principles 
he taught and advocated are immortal. No man liveth, and no 
man dieth, to himself. Though he met an untimely death, yet, 
enshrined in the affections and enthroned upon the hearts of 
the people, he will live embalmed in their memory forever. 
How very great his loss ! Who can calculate it ? It is irrep- 
arable. None can fill his place. Blessing with his kind- 
ness, through his bright example of pure patriotism, stern integ- 
rity, and broad, comprehensive principles of humanity, liberty, 
and justice, the nations of the earth, his death is a severe loss to 
the entire world. And we are here to-day, in common with 
millions of weeping hearts all over the laud, to mingle our tears 
with theirs upon this most severe national bereavement. Upon 
such an occasion as this, it is manly to weep. A great, wise, 
noble, patriotic, good man is dead. " How are the mighty 
fallen?" Flushed with victory, yesterday Abraham Lincoln 
filled the presidiential chair, covered with glory and honor ; to- 
day he lies a stiifened corpse, enshrouded in the flag he died a 
martyr to defend. Gather round, and gaze upon his noble form 
as he lies in state. Draw down that napkin. Ah, me ! see how 
his visage is marred by the ruthless hand of that vile assassin. 
Oh, how lamentable and heart-rending the scene ! How great 
the calamity ! How severe the rebuke ! With the nation's 
head, with the nation's favorite, with the nation's greatest bene- 
factor, snatched away without a moment's warning, in such a 
time as this, language fails to express and heart to conceive the 
unspeakable grief and sadness of a lieart-smitten nation. 

The murder of Coesar in the Roman senate was atrocious ; 
hanging Union soldiers by scores for their loyalty in North 
Carolina was barbarous; the wholesale, cold-blooded massacre 
at Fort Pillow was fiendish ; starving to death thousands of sol- 
diers in Andersonville was horrible beyond description ; but 



CHEISTIAXITY IN THE WAR. 297 

these most shocking crimes, culminating in the diabolical murder 
of President Lincoln and attempted national assassination, are 
second only to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ upon Mount Cal- 
vary ! It would seem that hell had disgorged and robbed itself 
to send forth the blackest devil to scourge and chasten us ! And 
although the earth did not quake, nor the rocks rend, nor the 
sun refuse to shine, yet, appalled with horror and crushed with 
grief, everything wears an aspect of lamentation and woe, and 
wraps the nation in the deejDcst gloom and mourning. 

Yet, fellow-soldiers and fellow-citizens, let us not be discouraged ; 
though our dearest, best personal and national friend is gone, 
despair not; let not your hearts be troubled ; " be of good cheer." 
Jehovah Jesus still rules and reigns high over all, and head 
over all things to the Church ! God is still our refuge and 
strength, therefore we will not fear, though our chief executive is 
removed from us ! The wheels of government will still roll on ; 
our armies will march; victories will follow; the soldiers will go 
home; his widowed wife and bereaved mother will weep ; that 
dear old flag, now dearer than ever, will still wave over the 
country Abraham Lincoln, under God, redeemed from treason ; 
but from his warm gushing heart we will receive no more proc- 
lamations nor kind messages. Touching his character, wisdom, 
good sense, sound judgment, magnanimity, pure patriotism, 
shrewd sagacity, moral courage, simplicity, kindness, and, above 
all, stern integrity, were among his most prominent traits. De- 
voted to his country, he was a true friend to the soldier, and 
made the preservation of the Union the principal object of his 
administration. The great emancipator and special friend of the 
slave, he freed millions by proclamation, and gave them the pro- 
tection of the Government. Born in obscurity and brought up 
in poverty, through his own persevering efforts he rose from the 
humblest walks of life to the highest position on earth ; and 
while Washington is " the father," Abraham Lincoln well de- 
serves the title of " the savior," of his country. 

The nation to-day is burying the lamented President, Burying 
him ! burying Abraham Lincoln ! No : you cannot do it, no 
morQ than you can bury the Declaration of Independence, the 



298 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

Constitution, the Bible, or the history of your country ; no more 
than you can bury the everlasting hills, mountains, lakes, rivers, 
and oceans ! No : he "vvill live on ; live all over the world, and live 
through all coming time! Nations, kingdoms, and empires may 
rise, flourish, fade, and fall ; generations will pass away ; the bed 
of the Chesapeake may shift ; the Potomac may dry up ; the 
ocean's swelling tide may cease to roll ; the blue hills of Virginia 
may give way to the mouldering hand of time ; and every Lin- 
coln monument may crumble to the dust — but his name and 
HIS DEEDS will live as long as time rolls on ! 

Born of a pious mother, and brought up to the Bible, Abraham 
Lincoln was taught to pray before he could pronounce his 
Maker's name. Deeply impressed with the responsibilities of 
his position, and feeling his need of divine aid on leaving home 
for Washington, his last request of his friends was, "Pray for 
me ! " And during his last years, like Havelock, he usually 
spent from one to two hours every morning in reading God's 
word, meditation, and prayer. Abraham Lincoln was a man of 
prayer ; and" as the difficulties and responsibilities of his position 
increased, and bore more heavily upon his tender heart, it drove 
him nearer to God. Hence we hear him, in times of great 
emergencies, giving vent to his feelings in such words as these: 
" I have been driven many times to my knees by the over- 
whelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own 
wisdom, and that of all about me, seemed insufficient for that 
day." Filled with sorrow upon the death of his son, he said to 
a sympathizing friend, " I will try to go to God with my sor- 
rows." Soon after, she asked him if he could trust God ; he 
said, " I think I can, and I will try." Very much distressed 
about the loss at the second defeat at Bull Run, he said, "I have 
done the best I could ; I have asked God to guide me, and now 
I must leave the event with him." But the highest expression 
of his sublime faith and devotion to God is seen, perliaps, in his 
words to a friend during the dark days of Gettysburg. " I rolled 
on Him the burden of my country, and rose from my knees 
lightened of my load, feeling a peace that passes all understand- 
ing, — feeling I could leave myself, my country, and my all in 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 299 

the hands of God." These bright manifestations of his fervent 
prayers, strong, unwavering faith, taken in connection with the 
purity of his life, his devotion to his country, his meek, forgiving 
spirit, his unselfish disposition, his " charity for all, and malice 
toward none," together with the reliance upon God and submis- 
sion to his will, expressed in his last Inaugural Address, so deeply 
impresses the unprejudiced mind, that we can no longer doul:)t 
that for him " to die was gain, and to depart far better." 
Having passed away from the thrilling scenes of a most eventful 
life, and the difficulties of reconstruction and restoring peace, he 
has gone, we trust, where no vile rebel lurks, and where no foul 
assassin prowls. Yes, crowned with all the glories of martyrdom, 
he has gone, we trust, "where the wicked cease to trouble, and 
the weary are forever at rest ; " gone where there will be no 
more war, no more death, neither sorrow nor crying ; where God 
himself shall wipe away all tears. This being so, how striking 
the contrast between his condition on earth and his condition in 
heaven. Here all is war, blood, and death ; there all is life, joy, 
and peace. Here he was surrounded with the dead and dying ; 
there with the redeemed and living. Here he bore a sword, 
there he wears a crown ; here he sat upon the presidential chair, 
there he sits upon the throne of God. And though dead, he yet 
speaketh ; his tongue, though now mute in death, seems to say 
to his successor, to every member of his cabinet, to every senator 
and congressman, to every officer, soldier, and sailor of the army 
and navy, " Be ye also ready ! " " Prepare to meet thy God ! " 



300 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 



CHAPTEK XX. 

THE STREAM OF DEATH. 

The First Soldiers Killed in the War — Rebel Cruelty to the 
Dead — Death of Col. Baker — Gen. Lyon's Bravery and 
Death — Death in the Mississippi Valley and on the Penin- 
sula — Removal of Gen. McClellan — Gen. Roseorans' Bravery 
AT Stone River — " The Bloodiest Battle of the War " — The 
Battle of Gettysburg the Death-Blow of the Rebellion — 
Gen. Grant Assumes Command in Chief — "On to Richmond" 
— Death of Gen. Sedgwick — Battle of Coal Harbor — 
Simultaneous Movement of Armies — Gen. Sherman at At- 
lanta — Gen. Sheridan's Victories in the Shenandoah 
Valley — Battle at Franklin, Tenn. — Gen. Sheridan's 
Stratagem at Cedar Creek — Lincoln Calls for More Volun- 
teers — Gen. Sherman Completes His "March to the Sea" — 
Slavery Abolished by Congress, Jan. 31, 1865 — Grant's Last 
"Great Strike" — Fall of Richmond, Flight of Jeff. 
Davis, and Surrender of Gen. Lee — Mortality During the 
War — The Deserter. 

AS soon as the war was inaugurated, the stream of death 
began to flow, and it continued, with slight variations, until 
the war closed. The first man killed was private Daniel Hough, 
who fell nobly defending his country at the rebel bombardment 
of Fort Sumter, April 12, 1861. The next blood shed and 
lives lost was in an encounter of the 6th Massachusetts with an 
outrageous mob in Baltimore, while on their way to Washington 
to defend the President and national capital from prowling assas- 
sins. In this severe struggle the immortal 6th, commanded by 

Col. Jones, lost two killed and nine wounded ; while the 

assailants lost nine killed and eight severely wounded. The 
next patriotic blood that crimsoned the stream of death was that 
of the brave Col. Ellsworth, which provoked a prompt revenge 
by Brownell, and the blood of both patriot and assassin ran com- 
niingly together in Alexandria, May 24, 1861. The next influx 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 301 

into this mortal stream was at the battle of Big Bethel, where 
some three or more brave boys tasted death ; among them was 
INlajor Winthrop, who was shot by a North Carolina drummer- 
boy, and fell dead while bravely leading his men into battle. 
Following down the crimson tide of this widening stream, until 
you reach the bloody field where Americans first met Americans 
in pitched battle upon the gory field of Bull Run, and there you 
see death invading our ranks, and bearing off some five hundred 
more noble heroes, who sealed their devotion to their country 
with their blood. At this sad defeat the nation was thrown into 
the deepest gloom, and thousands were wringing their hearts 
with grief over the most sad misfortune. Not satisfied with the 
victory won, to add ignominy to defeat, the rebels buried our 
men with their faces down^vard, and took their bones for drum- 
sticks and finger-rings, and their skulls for goblets and punch- 
bowls. From that time on, during the long four years of bloody 
strife. Death, like a mighty tyrant, reigned through the ranks 
of our brave heroes, bearing them off by hundreds and thousands 
at every great battle. 

Tracing down still further the surging waves of this mighty 
struggle for national life, we see Death, like a stern monarch, 
going forth conquering and to conquer ; and at the terrible 
slaughter at Ball's Bluff, in a desperate conflict against awful 
odds, bearing off two hundred and twenty-five more noble heroes, 
among whom was the brave, noble, and magnanimous Col. 
Baker, who fell in the heat of battle from the discharge of eight 
pistol-balls into his body by a red-headed and black-hearted rebel, 
who also fell the next minute in a similar manner by a prompt 
avenger, Capt. Beirel, who with one fire of his pistol laid the 
ruthless traitor brainless beside one of freedom's noblest martyrs. 

The next large influx into this rising stream was at the bat- 
tle of Wilson's Creek, Mo., where the brave Gen. Lyon, and 
some two hundred and thirty more gallant soldiers, nobly sacri- 
ficed their lives upon the altar of their country. In the hot fury 
of the battle, Lyon calls to his men, "Prepare to charge the 
enemy," when the brave lowans, thirsting for victory, cry out, 
"Who will lead us?" Whereupon Gen. Lyon exclaimed, 



302. CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

" Come on, brave, brave men, I will lead you ! " In a moment, 
the general was at- their head, and on they pushed amidst a most 
galling fire of rebel musketry, slightly checking their advance ; 
but on they rushed, and in a moment the rebels gave way, 
" the army was saved, but Lyon was dead ! " Receiving two 
bullets in his breast, he fell immediately ; and an officer, rushing 
to his relief, anxiously inquired, " Are you hurt ? " " Not 
much," was his faint reply. They were his last words. He ex- 
pired immediately, covered with all the glories of martyrdom. 

But this is only the beginning of sorrows ; only, as it were, the 
first fruits of the ravages of death in " the war for the Union." 
As the conflict increased, we find the fell destroyer with one vast 
sweep of his ruthless scythe mowing down thousands in a 
single battle. Sweeping down the Valley of the Mississippi, 
the king of terrors made havoc of the nation's defenders; slay- 
ing seventeen hundred and thirty-five, and wounding seven 
thousand eight hundred and thirty-two, with a total loss of near 
fourteen thousand at the bloody battle of Pittsburg Landing, 
April 7, 1862, with a rebel loss of sixteen thousand, and twenty- 
seven hundred killed. At the battle of South Mountain, Md., 
September 14, 1862, four hundred and forty-three more noble 
patriots fell out of tlie Union ranks into the river of death, with 
eighteen hundred and six more wounded, together with a rebel 
loss of some four thousand, and five hundred killed. 

Going forth on his pale horse, this mighty conqueror, during 
the Peninsula campaign, swept away thousands and thousands, 
many of whom left their uncoffined bones bleaching in the dis- 
mal swamps of Virginia. At the battle of Williamsburg, Va., 
three hundred of our brave boys fell beneath his iron grasp ; and 
with one fell stroke of his devouring hand, at the great battle of 
Antietam, Md., September 17, 1862, he plucked from our noble 
army two thousand and ten heroic patriots, who left the 
world to wear a martyr's crown. The wounded numbered 
9416 ; total loss, 12,469 : rebel loss, 25,000. Brig.-Gen. Mans- 
field, U.S.A., was killed in this battle. In the two days' 
battle of Fair Oaks, Va., eight hundred and ninety more fell at 
their posts, defending the cause of God, liberty, and truth, with 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 303 

thirty-six hundred and twenty-seven wounded. In the hard- 
fought battle of Malvern Plill, Va., together with the seven or 
eight battles fought during Gen. McClellan's retreat from Rich- 
mond, including all from Mechanicsville to Malvern Hill, 
twelve hundred and sixty-five more of our Union braves tasted 
death, and sealed their devotion to their country with their blood. 
In these battles our wounded were 7701; total loss, 14,924 : rebel 
loss estimated at 18,000. The last important battle of the Pen- 
insula campaign was fought at Cedar Mountain, Va., August 19, 
1862, in which our loss in killed and wounded was twelve 
hundred and fifty. Thus Death reigned throughout our armies, 
spreading destruction on every side. 

On August 16, 1862, Gen. McClellan, having failed to take 
Richmond, moved his entire army from Harrison's Landing, via 
Fortress Monroe, Va., to Alexandria and Washington. 

The next great influx into this raging stream was at the battle 
of Bull Run, August 29, 1862, where, said Gen. Pope command- 
ing, "our loss was not less than eight thousand killed and wound- 
ed, and the loss of the enemy was at least two to our one." Gen. 
McClellan was then, immediately after the battle of Antietam, 
removed, and Gen. Burnside took his place. But the stream of 
death still flowed on. At the battle of Fredericksburg, Va., 
fought as it was under great disadvantages, our death-defying 
heroes made three successive charges on the rebels, strongly 
entrenched behind a stone wall, and were thrice driven back with 
great slaughter, with a loss of over twelve thousand (12,321), 
while the rebels' loss was comparatively few, as they fought under 
cover. Flowing round by the battle of Corinth, three hundred 
and fifteen more brave patriots fell dead into this sweeping stream, 
and thirteen hundred more fell badly wounded upon its gory 
banks. Here the rebels lost fourteen hundred killed and eigh- 
teen hundred wounded. The President having about this time 
called into the field six hundred thousand more men, tended to 
swell the size of this rising stream. 

At the hard-fought battle of Stone River, the rebels, com- 
manded by Gen. Bragg, fighting with great determination, thrice 



304 CHRISTIAXITY IX THE WAR. 

repulsed our men. But Gen. Sheridan rallying his men, and 
eager for victory, drove them back four times with heavy loss. 
Still they held on, and, coming up again, they received a most 
galling fire. At this juncture the rebels fell back, and the firing 
ceased. The Federal troops, commanded by General E,osecrans, 
had been worsted in the fight, and lost some three thousand killed 
and wounded. The enemy had also suffered terribly ; yet, not 
willing to give up. Gen. Kosecrans called a council of his generals, 
and sternly declared to them, "We conquer, or die right here!''' 
and the fire flashing into their hearts, his officers resolved to rally 
again, and conquer or die on the spot. Confident of success, 
on came the defiant rebels bold as lions, and our heroic braves, 
pitching into them mowed them down with great slaughter, and 
drove them across the shallow river at the point of the bayonet. 
In this severe struggle. Death plucked from our ranks ninety- 
three brave officers and fourteen hundred and forty-one privates ; 
officers wounded, 384 ; privates, 6865. Flowing down the 
valley of the lower Mississippi, this mortal stream swept aAvay 
five hundred and forty-five more gallant soldiers at the battle of 
Vicksburg, four hundred and twenty-six at Chami^ion's Hills, 
and one hundred and thirty at Port Gibson. And flowing on 
still further down, at the capture of Port Hudson over two 
thousand more were killed and wounded. The fall of Vicks- 
l)urg and capture of Port Hudson again removed the obstruc- 
tions from the Mississippi River. Burnside being relieved. Gen. 
Hooker took his place, and soon began the fourth campaign 
against Richmond. But the river of death still flowed on, and 
at the disastrous battle of Chancellorsville it was swollen with 
the blood of some ten thousand more brave heroes bleeding and 
dying for the country's cause, among whom was Gen. Berry, 
who fell gallantly leading his men in battle Sabbath night. 
Gen. Lee pronounced this "the bloodiest battle of the war," 
and the rebels estimated their loss at from sixteen to eighteen 
thousand, among whom was the brave Stonewall Jackson, who 
died soon after from wounds received in this bloody fight. 

Not long after the battle of Chancellorsville, Gen. Lee made 



CHRISTIANITY IM THE WAR. 305 

his great clis:istrous raid up north into Pennsylvania ; and at tlie 
decisive battle of Gettysburg, July 3, 1863, the king of terrors, 
with showers of balls flying thick as hail, streaming forth from 
some three hundred and fifty guns, blackening the air, swept 
away, as with the besom of destruction, t\s^o thousand eight hun- 
dred and thirty-four heroic veterans, leaving thirteen thousand 
seven hundred and nine bleeding with wounds upon the hotly 
contested field. Total loss, twenty-three thousand one hundred 
and eighty-six. The rebels lost over forty-five hundred killed, 
buried by Union men, Avith over thirteen thousand prisoners, 
and an estimated total loss of thirty thousand. Death reigns ! 
Viewed prospectively, and taking it all in all, this was, doubtless, 
one of the most important battles ever fought in the world. 
Here the head of the serj)ent was ibruised, and the rebellion, in 
all its ramifications, was struck wdth death ! Here, beneath the 
shades of Independence Hall, whence, eighty-seven years before, 
was issued the " Declaration of Independence," declaring, for the 
first time, that all men are created free and equal, the decree 
went forth, amidst streams of blood and death against the 
rebellion, that, dying, ilioiL shalt die ! 

Thus mortally wounded, the rebellion struggled along several 
months, and expired April 9, 1865, at the surrender of Gen. Lee, 
near Appomattox Court-House, Va. 

Sweeping round to the West, at the hard-fought battle of 
Chicivamauga, or Chattanooga, sixteen hundred and forty-four 
more gallant heroes fell beneath his withering grasp, leaving 
eight thousand six hundred and ninety-eight bleeding on the^ 
gory field, with a rebel loss of eighteen thousand seven hundred 
killed and wounded. Sweeping round his great scythe, Death 
swept hundreds more from our ranks at the battle of Missionary 
Ridge. And at the heavy assault upon Fort Wagner, in 
Charleston harbor, we lost some fifteen hundred in killed, 
wounded, and missing. Here the 54th Mass. distinguished 
themselves. Placed in advance of two brave brigades, and 
giving a fierce yell as they approached the strong fort, on they 
rushed amidst furious volleys of grape and canister, plunging 
through a ditch of water four feet deep, and scaling the para})et, 



306 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

and fighting with perfect desperation, left their brave Col. Shaw, j( 
with over one-half of their number, dead upon the ensanguined 
field. The next heavy influx into this swelling stream was at 
the awful massacre at Fort Pillow; when (April 12, 1864,) the 
ferocious rebels, under command of Gen. Forrest, indiscrimi- 
nately butchered, in cold blood, over four hundred men, white 
and black, after they had surrendered and laid down their arms. 
" Those who begged for quarter were shot down and bayoneted ; 
even the women and children were killed and wounded." 

On March 10, 1864, Gen. Grant, by appointment of President 
Lincoln, assumed the command of the armies of the United 
States, with his head-quarters in the field. But still the stream 
of death flowed on rapidly. On the second of the following May, 
the Lieutenant-General, with the army of the Potomac, crossed 
the Rapidan, and commenced the fifth campaign against Rich- 
mond, and soon came in contact with Gen. Lee and his deter- 
mined forces. For two days they fought the bloody battle of the 
Wilderness, with a Union loss of some fifteen thousand, including 
Gens. Hays and Wadsworth. The rebel loss was about equal to 
the Federal. It Avas remarkable in this deadly battle, fought in 
the midst of thick woods, with the sabre and the rifle, that each 
army "claimed to have i-epelled the fierce attack of the enem3^" 

But unterrified with these heavy losses, the mighty conflict 
still went on, and raged with great fury at the battle of Spottsyl- 
vania, where both armies fought with great determination. 
Every inch of soil, drunk with human blood, was fought over 
with perfect desperation, and with rival bayonets interlocked in 
the bloody grapple over the . entrenchments, lasting for hours, 
with rebel battle-flags surging up alongside with ours. Death 
made great havoc in our ranks, and the heroic dead were left 
upon the gory field in heaps. It was here, May 11, 1864, after 
six days' very hard fighting, with a heavy loss on both sides, 
" with much in our favor," the rebels having retreated during 
the night, after five unsuccessful attempts to drive our troops, 
that the persistent Grant heroically declared, in words immortal, 
" I propose to fight it out on this line, if it takes all summer ! " 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 307 

Genp. Rice and Stevenson were killed on the first day of this 
great battle, and many under-officers on the third. Full casual- 
ties not given. But the severest loss was that of Gen. Sedgwick, 
who was on the advance with his men, where the rebel bullets 
were flying thick and fast. The soldiers dodged ; and one falling 
to the ground, the general humorously said to them, " Pooh, 
pooh, men ! who ever heard of a soldier dodging a bullet ? 
Why, they could not hit an elephant at this distance." The men 
laughed ; the general smiled ; but it was his last smile. The 
next moment the fatal bullet pierced his face, and passing through 
his brain, he fell, and expired without uttering a word. " Watch," 
'' be ye also ready ! " 

Both armies were now largely re-enforced, and Grant, with 
unconquerable will, swings his brave boys around, and again 
coming in contact with his formidable adversary at Cold Harbor, 
they had another desperate struggle. Here the two armies had 
Iain entrenched within one hundred and fifty yards of each other, 
and one Federal brigade within fifteen yards of the rebels. Thus 
exposed, panting for victory, our men, with death staring them 
in the face, boldly assault the rebels behind their breastworks, 
and were mown down like grass, with a loss of some seventy- 
five hundred, while the rebels reported a loss of one thousand. 
Simultaneous with Grant's crossing the Rapidan, and opening 
his vigorous campaign against Richmond, was Sherman's ad- 
vance upon Atlanta, Sigel's into the valley of the Shenandoah^ 
and Butler's up the James upon Fort Darling. And while these 
mighty armies sallied forth with buoyant spirits, thirsting for 
victory over their inveterate foe. Death went forth upon his pale 
horse, conquering and to conquer ; and while he made such fear- 
ful slaughter in Grant's ranks, he also slew his hundreds and 
thousands in Sherman's and Butler's. At the well-fought battle 
of Resaca, Ga., managed by the strategetic Sherman, about eight 
hundred brave patriots fell beneath his iron grasp, and over four 
thousand more were wounded in the bloody conflict. The next 
day Gen. Butler's forces, while investing Fort Darling, were 
attacked in heavy masses l)y Beauregard's forces, in a dense fog, 



308 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 

and were surprised and defeated, with a loss of twenty-five hun- j 
dred killed and wounded; the rebels sustaining a loss nearly 
equal to ours. Thus we see " the king of terrors " is no respecter 
of persons ; but, whetting his sword, he enters indiscriminately 
the Union and rebel ranks, and plucks his victims from the very 
flower of both armies. 

On the 27th of June, 1864, in Sherman's attack upon the 
rebels entrenched upon Kenesaw Mountain, he was repulsed 
with great slaughter, with a loss of thirty-five hundred and 
twenty-one, inflicting but little damage upon the rebels. And 
although the people prayed for peace and the cessation of 
bloodshed, yet the stream of death flowed on; and we next see 
its ravages up in IMaryland, slaying hundreds in the battle of 
Monocacy, where one hundred and twenty-one Union and three 
hundred rebel soldiers fell into its crimson flood. Then, flow- 
ing around over Sherman's great " march to the sea," in the 
investing and fall of Atlanta, the Federal loss in three battles, 
on three different days, was ninety-seven hundred, Avith a rebel 
loss of twenty-four thousand and five hundred. And in one of 
these decisive battles, fought July 22, 1864, which raged with 
great fury, Sherman commanding in person, and when the 15th 
Corps had been worsted somewhat, the brave general ordered 
them to regain their lost ground at any cost ; and again plunging 
into the fierce conflict, determined to conquer or die, they drove 
the ruthless rebels with tremendous shouts of victory and re- 
joicing, with a rebel loss of twelve thousand, with over three 
thousand killed, while the Federals lost only thirty-seven hundred. 
In this important battle, the heroic Gen. James B. McPherson 
i'ell, while giving command to his staff". Shot through the lungs 
l)y a volley of bullets from sneaking rebel skirmishers, he fell 
dead from his horse, crowned with the glories of dying for his 
country. Gen. Sherman, with a force of some ninety thousand 
men, lost, in his campaign from Chattanooga to, Atlanta, thirty- 
one thousand three hundred and one, while the rebels sustained 
a loss of forty-three thousand seven hundred in killed, woundcil, 
and missing:. 




lA A J, ::;t: n. g. h. thomas 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAK. 309 

Gen. Sheridan having assumed command of the middle mili- 
tary division August 7, 1864, and after a few weeks of splendid 
manoeuvring to prevent rebel forces being sent south to re- 
enforce Hood at Atlanta, finally, when opportunity favored, he 
massed his troops, and thirsting for victory, we see the next 
general rise in the river of death in the Valley of the Shenan- 
doali, where the brave, dashing Sheridan whipped and drove 
the bloodthirsty rebels, with a loss of some ten thousand in the 
battles of Opequan and Fisher's Hill, with an estimated Union 
loss of four thousand. Still increasing his reign, the next heavy 
dash " the last enemy " made upon our noble veterans was 
at the bloody, hard-fought battle of Franklin, Tenn., where the 
Federals and rebels, coming in close contact, fought each other 
with bayonets and clubbed muskets, with perfect desperation, for 
hours, till darkness closed the bloody scene, with a Federal loss of 
twenty-one hundred, and with a rebel loss of seventeen hundred 
and fifty killed, and about five thousand wounded, embracing six 
general officers killed, and six wounded. Still carrying out the 
decree, " death hath passed upon all men," and swinging around 
his fatal scythe again in the battles of Nashville, the Federals 
lost twenty-nine hundred, and the rebels twenty-five hundred, in 
killed and wounded. 

Yet, as though never satisfied, the old tyrant. Death, still rides 
forth, building up his kingdom; and the next victory he achieves 
is in the Valley of the Shenandoah, among the unterrified ranks 
of the indomitable Sheridan, in the battle of Cedar Creek. 
Having just won two signal victories, Sheridan had gone to 
Washington, and on his return, upon approaching his head- 
quarters, and hearing the loud roar of artillery in the direction 
of his army, he soon found them all, to his great surprise and 
deep mortification, in full retreat, closely pressed by the sagacious 
Gen.^Early ; but, galloping up in full speed to the front, he com- 
manded his retreating army to halt, and by the prestige of his 
power, the majesty of his courage-inspiring presence, together 
with the lightning flash of his vivid eye, infused fresh cour- 
age into his vanquished heroes ; and quickly forming them into 



310 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 

line of battle, and wheeling them about, charged and drove the 
conquering rebels in wild confusion, with an estimated loss of 
ten thousand men and officers, while our loss was only sixty -five 
hundred, including fifteen hundred prisoners. The Union Gen. 
Bidwell and Col. Thoburn fell in this battle. 

President Lincoln now, December 20, 1864, issued a call for 
three hundred thousand more troops ; and Sherman went on 
driving the rebels before him like chaff before the wind, sim- 
j)ly at his approach, and completed his " great march to the 
sea," and there achieved a gi'eat bloodless victory in the capture 
of Savannah, and made of it, with all its spoils, a fine Christ- 
mas gift to Abraham Lincoln. 

Commencing the year 1865 with an army of six hundred and 
five thousand men, and the rebels with some three hundred and 
fifty thousand. Gen. Sherman, having made preparations for 
leaving Savannah, began his long, difficult, and most extraordi- 
jiary march of near five hundred miles through swamps, and 
storms, and creeks, and over mountains, deemed by others almost 
impassable, in the most inclement season of the year. On the 
21st of March, with a loss of one thousand in the campaign, his, 
the army of Gen. Schofield from Newbern, and Terry's from 
Wilmington, all crowned with victory, and highly jubilant witli 
success,- with a happy coincidence all met in conjunction at 
Goldsborough, N. C, demonstrating the complete success of the 
triune campaign. But while this happy juncture was transpir- 
ing, the stream of death, though having long since been running 
down, was still making further inroads in our ranks, and we see 
our unyielding braves coming out of the battle of Averysboro' 
with a loss of seven hundred and twenty, and out of the battle of 
Bentonsville with a loss of sixteen hundred and forty-six. And 
although Congress, January 31, 1865, passed the Constitutional 
Amendment, abolishing slavery forever in the United States, 
with tremendous cheering and shouts of rejoicing, and with the 
rebellion now cut in two, and the great cause of the war removed 
in the national decree to " let the oppressed go free," with heaven 
smiling upon the cause of right and liberty, with the rebels 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 311 

fighting in "the last ditch," the speedy collapse of the rebellion 
began to loom up from all quarters. The rebellion is doomed ! 
" The die is east ! " and the immortal Grant, concentrating his 
mighty cohorts, fully primed, in his strong embattlements around 
l^etersburg, prepares to make the last great strike ; and with the 
rebellion " on its last legs,'" and the veteran Gen. Lee trembling 
for his cause, the fatal hour arrives, and the crisis comes. Grant 
gives the word, and the final struggle rages with great fury along 
his whole line of thirty miles ; and the disheartened rebels giving 
way in every quarter, Lee's army was almost annihilated, and 
the old veteran army of the Potomac again covers itself with 
glory. Thus, with the battle fought and the victory won, on 
the morning of April 3, 1865, at four a.m., filled with enthu- 
siastic exultation, our brave, victorious Union saviors entered 
the long fought for city of Petersburg amid loud shouts of re- 
joicing. 

In this grand, decisive struggle, in the battles of Hatcher's 
Run, Fort Steadman, and Five Forks, etc.. Gen. Grant estimated 
our loss at about five thousand killed and wounded, and some two 
thousand prisoners ; while the dispirited rebels, fighting with far 
less desperation than usual, lost some twelve thousand killed and 
wounded, and about thirteen thousand prisoners. On the same 
day, Jeff. Davis and his vanquished rebels having evacuated 
Richmond, with a large part of it wrapped in flames, fired by their 
own hands. Gen. Weitzel entered it at a quarter past eight a.m., 
with most enthusiastic expressions of joy from the inhabitants. 
Thus ended the march " On to Richmond ! " and with the " sur- 
render of Lee to Gen. Grant," amidst loud, prolonged cheering, 
thus ended the gigantic rebellion, conceived in sin and brought 
forth in iniquity ; and crushed most suddenly, it went down with 
the deepest grief and greatest mortification to them, but with the 
profoundest gratitude and highest joy to us. And now, with 
the .stream of death drying up, once more " all is quiet on the 
Potomac." 

The average daily mortality during the war was about two 



312 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

hundred and fifteen, making in all about three hundred and 
twenty-five thousand (some put it at 316,000) brave heroes who 
sacrificed their lives battling for God, liberty, and truth. How 
;ire the mighty fallen ! See how the country is deluged with 
their blood, and the land ridged with their graves I Over sixty 
thousand died in rebel prisons from starvation, cruelty, and tort- 
ure; scores were hung in North Carolina for loyalty to their 
country ; hundreds were burned to death upon the field of battle ; 
some four hundred were atrociously murdered in cold blood, 
begging for mercy, at Fort Pillow and Plymouth, N. C. ; some- 
times, in severe battles, the dead lay four or five feet deep, and, 
in extreme cases, were used for breastworks, — thus making the 
dead protect the living, fighting for the life of the nation. Three 
hundred and twenty-five thousand ! Oh, what a sad picture ! 
There they lie in scattered heaps ; many of whose uncoffined 
bones lie bleaching beneath the rays of a scorching sun to-day ! 
Though they died, they conquered ; though they died, their 
blood was the price of self-government, liberty, and truth ; though 
dead, they yet speak; dead, yet they live; and with their mem- 
ory enshrined in the hearts of a free people, they will live 
through all coming time. There they lie under the dominion 
of death ; conquerors, yet conquered. Over their precious dust 
Death now reigns supreme! The saviors of the nation, yet 
crushed beneath the king of terrors. How mighty is Death ! 
How vast his dominions ! But, glory be to God ! there is a 
Mightier : Jesus Christ hath abolished death, and brought life 
and immortality to light; Jesus, the mighty conqueror, hath 
robbed the cruel spoiler of his sting, and vanquished him from 
the tomb, and when he shall say the word, the sea, death, hell, 
and the grave shall deliver up the dead ; and then from the 
green-turfed grave of every veteran will be seen rising a living 
form coming to judgment, to be rewarded according to the deeds 
done in the body. 

The rebel loss was about two hundred thousand, making in 
all over half a million lives sacrificed in the bloody conflict. 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 313 

THE DESERTER. 

Tlie command, by regiments, marched to the appointed ground 
and wheeled into a hollow square, in the centre of which was the 
place of execution. The music ceased. Silence and soberness 
pervaded the vast assembly. Thoughts of the soldier's position 
and responsibilities were in every bosom. 

Presently a solemn dirge is heard from the approaching band. 
The death procession comes in sight. It enters the square with 
slow funeral tread : the band ; the guard ; the coffin borne by 
four comrades; the deserter handcuffed between two officers; the 
chaplain ; and the f ital platoon of twelve, eleven of whose rifles 
are loaded with ball-cartridges. 

Moving to the step of that sad music around the entire 
interior of the square, they wheel to the centre, and halt in 
front of the staff and commanding general. 

The captain in charge reads the indictment and sentence of 
the court-martial. The culprit had " deserted to the enemy, and 
was found in arms against his country." Sentence : " He shall 
be shot to death ! " 

" Proceed with the execution ! " is the general's stern com- 
mand. 

The coffin is lowered to the ground ; the deserter is brought to 
its side; earnest prayer is offered in his behalf; a few last words 
and the farewell shake of hands by the chaplain, and then the 
wretched young man is seated upon his coffin. Handcuffs are 
removed, eyes bandaged, one-half of that deadly platoon is held 
in reserve, while the other is ordered "ten paces in front" of 
the victim. 

He sits upright, and apparently firm of nerve, but both hands 
are braced hard upon his knees. It is a dread moment. Few 
nerves around are firm ; veterans, who could stand calmly before 
a hurricane of fire, now tremble. Tlie awful form of Death 
stands out alone ! The door of the unseen world is swino-iny; 
open ! Crime, judgment, and stern retribution are working 
their terrible impressions. Swift, vivid thoughts are in every 
heart, and " God have mercy on him ! " breathes from every lip. 



314 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

We had not long to wait. ''Ready!" and the click of the rifle- 
looks. "Aim!" the poor fellow's heart is the target. ''Fire! " 
and before the report is heard, he falls back dead upon his 
coffin. The surgeon approaches and examines : " lie is dead, 
sir ! " addressing the general. 

Again the solemn strains of the band break forth, and the 
whole j)arade forms and passes in review of the corpse, followed 
by a gloomy ambulance. The body, dripping with blood, is 
j)laced in its coffin, and put in the ambulance, with only the 
guard attending, finds its way to the lonely and dishonorable 
grave. 

The troops, who had witnessed the execution, took up their 
line of march back to camp and duty, awed with the majesty of 
violated law, feeling, as never before, how serious a thing it is 
to be a soldier, and how sacred is the cause of our country. 

Such is the sad fate of the deserter : a grief and shame to his 
]>arents ; a disgrace to his country, and a curse to the army. 
Cast off ! east off by his country, and cut off by the army ! 
Oh, how lamentable ! to be cast off by the world, and by all 
earthly friends, is terrible and awfully severe ! But it is nothing 
to being cast off by God, and be cast down into hell ! And why ? 
Why thus cast off, led out, made to kneel, and be shot dead in 
his coffin ? Simply because he had deserted the flag of his 
country and gone over to the enemy. That, it is true, is a great 
sin and crime ; but it is nothing, sinner, to your sin in forsaking 
God and rejecting the Saviour. This poor man, simply because 
he deserted the army, and took up arms against his country, was 
arrested, tried, condemned, and executed, shot dead on his coffin, 
and buried in a lonely, dishonorable grave. And what, O im- 
penitent sinner, have you done ? You have deserted God, and 
rejected the Lord Jesus Christ, and gone over to the service of 
Satan. And you have been arrested, tried, and condemned ; 
yes, " condemned already ! " In mercy, God now waits, delays 
the day of your execution. He has waited long — is waiting 
still ! But he will not always wait. He says, " My Spirit shall 
not always strive with man." Oh, then, my impenitent friend, 
let me entreat you to repent and come to Jesus, and come just now. 



i 



CHKISTIAXITY IX THE WAR. 315 

CHAPTER XXI. 

THE NATIONAL CEMETERY AT FORTRESS MONROE, VA. 

Number of Graves — The Peace of Many Prayers, Sighs, and 
Tears — The Old Man Weeping at His Son's Grave — Who 
ARE the Dead ? — How did They Die ? — Soldiers' Dying 
Words — The Monument — The Inscription — Burying the 
Dead — National Cemeteries — General Summary. 

THIS large depository of tlie patriotic dead lies about two 
miles west of the fort, oiF Hampton Roads, and hard by the 
once aristocratic town of Hampton ; washed by the swelling tide 
of Chesapeake Bay, and lying on an arm of the same, fringed 
on one side by thorn and evergreen bushes, and overlooked by 
the lofty dome of the Chesapeake Hospital, " it is beautiful for 
situation." Made sacred by containing the remains of so many 
brave heroes and dear friends, it is a place of much resort. 
There lie tlie dead, close to the sacred spot upon which thousands 
of them once lived, moved, suffered, bled, and died in Hampton 
Hospital ; there, close by the solemn scenes of their last struggle, 
where many prayed and wept for the preservation of the country 
and for the salvation of the suffering, dying soldier, now -sleep 
in death their mortal remains, wrapped in plain shrouds, and 
cased in rough, red coffins. 

Embracing an area of nearly twelve acres of valuable land, 
and containing four thousand six hundred and ninety-five graves,* 
all marked with neat head-boards, painted white, containing the 
name, company, regiment, and date of death of every deceased 
soldier, and all laid out with fiue gravel walks, the cemetery 
presents quite a neat appearance. 

It has been the scene of many earnest prayers, deep emotions, 
tender sighs, and gushing tears. How often have we here seen 
the bereaved widow, mother, and father weeping over their 
lamented dead, watering their graves with their tears, and refus- 
ing to be comforted, because they were not. 

Here we have seen the sadly disappointed father come all the 

* Sept. 4, 18C8. 



316 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

way from New England, laden with cordials and good things for 
his sick and wounded son, and, on arriving, found him dead and 
buried in this lonely graveyard. Stung with grief, the weeping 
father at once asks the chaplain, "When did he expire?" 
"Day before yesterday," replied the chaplain, " How did he 
die?" "In the triumphs of faith, giving bright evidences of 
preparation, saying, 'I am ready; all is peace!'" "Thank 
God!" exclaimed the bereaved parent. "Is he buried?" 
" Yes." " Where ? " " Over there, in the soldier's graveyard." 
As the chaplain had not time to accompany him, being engaged 
in attending a funeral, the old man starts at once in search of his 
grave. There he goes : see how anxiously he looks for it ; see 
how he weeps as he goes : mark his steps ; listen to his throb- 
bing heart as he approaches it : there, he has found it ! How 
solemn the scene ! There he stands, hushed in silence, bathed 
in tears and w^rapped in grief. Silence reigns ; he looks, sighs, 
drops the tears of aifection, and thinks unutterable things ! 
Pensive he gazes upon the new-made grave, and, in the sadness 
of a smitten heart, exclaims, " O my son, my dear, only beloved 
son ! " and again the gushing tears trickle down his furrowed 
cheeks. Deeply moved with sorrow and the solemnity of the 
scene, the aged sire falls prostrate upon the ground, and from the 
liottom of his heart pours out his soul in thanks to God for the 
faithful life and triumphant death of his departed son. Having 
watered the grave with his tears, and consecrated it with his 
})rayers, the bereaved father starts to go away ; but, held and 
drawn by the tender ties of aifection, he rushes back and pours 
out another flood of tears. And there, overcome with sorrow 
and crushed with grief, under the influence of a kind of momen- 
tary delirium rising in the depths of his emotions of grief, as 
though his son rose again to life, he exclaims, " Farewell, James, 
farewell ! ]\Iay God bless you ! " And, repossessing his powers, 
he tears himself away, and leaves the sacred spot. After giving 
his cordials to other needy patients, and gathering up his son's 
clothes and assets, with a broken heart the aged father starts 
again for his home in New England. Such were the frequent 
mournful scenes of this graveyard. 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 317 

WHO ARE THE DEAD? 

As soldiers, they were a part of the very bone and sinew of 
the country, the guardians and defenders of the Republic, and 
the protectors of our homes, fathers, motliers, and orphans. 
Whence came they ? From almost every State of the Union. 
Those buried here during the war, being principally from the 
"Armyof the James," are chiefly from New England, New York, 
and Pennsylvania, besides some six hundred colored soldiers, 
wlio, except a small sprinkle from New England and Pennsyl- 
vania, are from the former slave States of the South. It for- 
merly contained none but those who died in Hampton Hospital ; 
but since the close of the war, all the soldiers and officers that 
were buried at the Chesapeake, and in the vicinity, have been 
transferred here. Here are those who died at the old Hygiea Hos- 
pital, besides many from the army of the Potomac that passed 
away in this vicinity during Gen. McClellan's first campaign 
against Richmond. Here, too, are scores of brave heroes, who fell 
victims to the untold horrors and fiendish cruelty of Anderson- 
ville, who died in Hampton Hospital. Here, too, lie many of the 
heroic braves of Fort Fisher, of whom said Admii-al Porter, 
" The world never saw such fighting as they did." Here, too, 
lie many who shared in the glories of the last great victory 
achieved at Petersburg, which brought down Richmond, put Jeff. 
Davis to flight, and resulted in the overthrow of the rebellion. 
Here, too, lie those whose blood has stained, and whose dissevered 
limbs have enriched, almost every battle-field from Fortress 
IMonroe to and around Richmond. 



HOW DID THEY DIE ? 

It was my privilege to preach to thousands, and to converse 
and pray with many hundreds of them on their death-beds, 
pointing them to Christ, and by the mercies of God and the love 
of Jesus, and by the joys of heaven, to entreat and beseech them to 
be reconciled to God. As they were free to express their feelings 
as I canvassed their hearts and wrote down tlieir exi)erienee, I 



318 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

had a good opportunity to learn their condition. Patience and 
resignation were among the most marked features of their deaths. 
Inured to hardness and toil, with hearts brave and courageous, 
they rose above all murmur and complaint. Deeply and thor- 
oughly loyal and patriotic, they counted all things but loss for 
the salvation of the country ; so that each one might in truth 
have said, as he passed away, in the immortal words of Swiss 
Winkelried : " 1 make way for liberty." I remember hearing 
one brave fellow say, when suffering very severely, " I can afford 
to suffer, since Christ has suffered so much for me." With 
bodies bathed in blood and racked with pain, yet, with a sublime 
faith, gazing into the eternal world, I have seen them, with 
souls apparently swimming in a flood of glory, rise above all 
doubts and fears, ready, waiting, to die, and even longing to 
depart. In a word, they died as they fought, — like heroes, with- 
out a murmur or a complaint. While some seemed to go " with- 
out hope," a great many gave bright evidence of preparation, 
expressing their assurance and bright prospects in such words as 
the following : " I am not afraid to die ! " " The Lord is mine ! " 
Another, deeply concerned for his companion at home, said, 
" Tell my wife to prepare for death : I have found Jesus." An- 
other, with heaven in full view, exclaimed, "I am ready; ready 
to go any time ! " Another, full of patience and submission, said, 
among his last words, "Not my will, but God's be done." The 
dying request of another good boy, who anxiously cared for his 
mother, was, "Tell my mother not to fret forme: Idled happy." 
Another, racked with pain, with his leg off above the knee, ex- 
claimed with deep emotions, in the presence of his weeping wife, 
" This wound is God's rod to comfort me : it is for my good ; " 
and, drawing nearer unto God, he said, " Christ is dear and pre- 
cious; he is all my life, and I can do nothing without him," 
and his disembodied spirit, washed in the Saviour's blood, w^ent 
home to glory. Another, having made a full surrender of him- 
self to the Saviour, said, " I gave my heart to Jesus, and now I 
can die in triumph." Another, apparently filled with the fulness 
of God, among his last words, said, "All is well!" and soon 
passed home to glory. Another, after struggling long under 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 319 

deep conviction in seeking religion, at last exclaimed, at the top 
of liis voice, "I have got it! I have got it!" and commenced 
shouting, '' Glory to God ! hallelujah to the Lamb! " Another 
aged colored soldier, past sixty-nine years old, when I asked 
him, "What brought you into the array?" replied, "God got 
me to come in: God called, and I obeyed;" and as his frail 
bark began to give way, lying upon his bed, patient as Job and 
meek as Moses, he said, " The Lord is with me ; I have no 
trouble ; " and, as his thoughts flit home, he said, " The Lord 
may spare me to go home ; but if not, ' all is well ! ' ' God's 
will be done.' ' I can die happy ! ' " and he soon passed away. 
Another clear-headed, praying veteran said, as his clay tenement 
began to fail, " I love my Saviour, therefore I don't fear." " I 
can die happy : it is glorious ; there is nothing like it ! " and he 
continued praying, and exhorting his comrades to watch and 
pray and be faithful, until his voice was hushed in death. But 
another who had felt some anxiety and concern about his salva- 
tion, but apparently feeling himself lost, exclaimed, a little 
before he expired, "It is too late!" and his destiny was sealed 
forever. Then, we repeat it, " they died as they fought, like 
perfect heroes." Peace be to their ashes. Let their heroic deeds 
be embalmed in the memory and enshrined in the heart of every 
American patriot. 

With all due honor to the officers, it is, after all, principally 
the soldiers who fight the battle and win the victory. They 
have borne the heat and burden of the war. And for their faith- 
ful service they deserve monuments more durable than brass. 
The hardness they have endured, the sacrifices they have made, 
and the price they have paid in toil, sweat, and blood for our 
country's salvation, is of such a value that it can never be 
repaid. The Government may pension their widows, orj)hans, 
and heirs with all the vacant land in the country, and with all 
the gold of California ; the people may erect to their memory 
the most gorgeous monuments of marble decked with rich plates 
of gold and silver ; the historian may write their names bright 
upon the historic page, and engrave it high upon the escutcheon 
of the country ; every surviving patriot may erect, for each one, 



320 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 

a monument of the warmest gratitude and affection in the bot- 
tom of his heart; but we can never do enough for them. 
There they lie ; and though dead, they yet speak ! A voice from 
every green-turfed grave and uncoffined bone cries to the sur- 
viving patriot, Be faithful to your trust ! A voice from their 
mangled bodies, and amputated limbs, and ball-perforated heads, 
ci'ies aloud to every loyal heart. Stand by the flag, and cling to 
the cross ! Yes, there they lie, waiting the sound of the last 
trump summoning them to rise and come to judgment, when 
their maimed, mangled bodies, sown in corruption, weakness, 
and dishonor, will be raised in power and glory, Avithout the loss 
of a hair or a limb ; and the redeemed, with their souls washed 
in the blood of Jesus, will be caught up to meet the Lord in the 
air, and dwell with him in heaven, where there will be no more 
war, " no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, for the former 
things are passed away." 

" The only national debt we never can pay is the debt we 
owe to our victorious Union soldiers and sailors ! " 

THE MONUMENT. 

Standing in the centre of this vast charnal-house is a splendid 
marble monument, seventy-one feet high, resting upon a solid 
base nineteen and a half feet square, well proportioned, gradu- 
ally tapering to the top. Built of fine granite, it will last as 
long as " the everlasting hills." Bearing the appropriate in- 
scription : 

''IN MEMORY 



UNION SOLDIERS 

WHO DIED TO MAINTAIN THE LAWS," 

it will hand down to future generations the heroic patriotism and 
daring deeds of those whose memory it was reared to commemorate. 
This inscription, surmounted above with a spread eagle, and with 
cross cannons on the right and cross muskets with fixed bayo- 
nets on the left, adds much to the taste and appearance of the 



CHEISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 321 

monument. Enclosed with a good, substantial iron fence, made 
of old musket-barrels with fixed bayonets, with six-pounders for 
posts, it is well secured from all outward encroachments. Amer- 
ican patriots guard, protect, preserve it; and if, through the 
mouldering hand of time, it should ever fall and crumble to the 
dust, let another, more lofty, substantial, and grand, rise in its 
place ; and there let it stand, and forever mark the sacred spot 
where sleeps in death the precious dust of nearly five thousand 
brave heroes who fell defending the cause of God, liberty, and 
self-government. Guard and protect it, so that if ever our 
patriotism should grow cold, we may go and gaze upon this 
srand structure, and call to mind the heroic devotion, the severe 
suffering, and self-sacrificing spirit of those who shed their blood 
and severed their limbs from their bodies that not a star should 
be riven from the flag of the Union; guard and protect it 
through all coming time, so that if ever bloody treason should 
again lift its foul head against the Government, the heroic ex- 
ample of those whose courageous deeds it commemorates may 
infuse into the hearts of their posterity that daring courage 
which will urge them at once to put it down at all hazards. 
Officers, soldiers, and sailors of the United States army and 
navy, guard and protect it, that it may stand as a living emblem 
of the great principles of the Declaration of Independence, for 
which these, and over three hundred thousand other martyred 
heroes, fought, bled, and died in crushing treason and putting 
down rebellion ; guard and protect it, and hang upon its lofty- 
summit the dear old flag, and there let it forever wave over i\\v 
precious dust of those noble hearts which once beat high witli- 
patriotic ard ir, and around whose encoffined bones it was wrapped 
as they wen borne, by cart-loads, from tlie dead-house to their 
graves., Y(S, guard and protect it, and there let it stand forever, 
not only as a, ' memorial of the dead," and the principles they 
died for, but as a standing declaration of a firm determination 
of t'le livii ; to maintain them at all hazards, though " blood 
flow to the lorse's bridle," and " death come up to the window." 
Its erec on was first conceived before the rebellion wa-i 
quelled. } \'en while it was in full blast, many of those who 
21 



322 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 

HOW lie beneath it, were pouring out their blood, offering upi 
their prayers, and laying down their lives for their country ; yea, .' 
while the " irrepressible conflict " was still fiercely raging, and 
the land was yet drunk with patriotic blood, with the stream of 
death rising and flowing on at the rate of over two hundred 
a day, just when ten thousand Union prisoners were escaping 
from Andersonville prison, and while victory after victory was 
following our armies at the front, a few officers of Hampton and 
Chesapeake Hospitals determined upon its erection. We con- 
sulted Dr. E. IMcClellan, Assistant Surgeon U. S. Army, surgeon 
in charge of the hospital, with reference to it, March 6, 1865 ; 
and in a few days he appointed the four chaplains of the hos- 
pital to raise money in their respective divisions for its erection, 
and by March 14 we had collected three hundred dollars, with 
over as much more on subscription. Most of this was raised by 
Chaplain Roe and the writer. The soldiers contributed very, 
liberally. One noble - hearted patriot from New England, al- 
though he had lost both a leg and an arm in the war, gave five 
dollars out of eleven, all he had. Some gave ten dollars. At the 
call of the surgeon in charge, a " monument board " was formed 
July 14, 1865, with Dr. E. McClellan, chairman. Chaplain Roe, 
treasurer, and Chaplain Mai'shall, secretary. Late in July Dr. Mc- 
Clellan left the hospital, and Ass't Surgeon J. H. Frantz, U.S.A., 
who succeeded him, was made chairman of the monument board ; 
and at the close of the year the funds raised amounted to over 
one thousand dollars. Special honor is due to Chaplain Marshall 
for his persevering and self-denying efforts in raising funds, in 
securing the co-operation of the War Department in establishing 
the cemetery, and in obtaining a deed for the cemetery ground. 
The entire cost of the monument was twelve thousand dollars; 
eleven thousand dollars of ^vhich were raised by Miss Dix, whc 
very often visited the hospital during the war, and witnessed 
something of the severe suffering of the heroic martyrs whose 
daring deeds and mortal remains she has done so much to honor 
and protect. She engaged in this noble enterprise at the request; 
of Chaplain Marshall. Eternal thanks and praise to her and tcl ] 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 323 

ler memory, and to those who contributed of their time and 
money for this noble purpose. 

BURYING THE DEAD. 

When a man dies, his body is washed, enshrouded in a clean 
shirt and drawers, and with naked hands and feet is carried by 
the nurses, on a stretcher, to the dead-house, and put into a 
plain red coffin. The soldier's name, company, and regiment are 
painted on the underside of the coffin-lid, to prevent mistake in 
identifying the deceased in case of exhuming. At the hour ap- 
pointed, the escort, drum-corps, dead-cart, pall-bearers, and the 
chaplain, all being assembled, the funeral begins by placing the 
encoffined dead into the cart, each one receiving the regular dead 
salute of a threefold rapping of the drums, and the escort pre- 
senting arms. We usually take five at a load, all covered over 
with the glorious old flag they died to honor and defend. All 
ready, with a slow step and solemn notes of the death-march of 
fife and drum, we march to the graves, and with solemn silence 
consign them to the tomb. Until recently, we have usually 
buried two loads at once, and sometimes three. When the last 
coffin is let down, all baring their heads, the chaplain reads an 
appropriate passage of Scripture, makes a few remarks, — often 
speaking of the dying messages and bright prospects of the de- 
parted, and closes with prayer for the sick, wounded, dying, and 
for the comfort of the bereaved friends at home ; and the escort 
having fired three volleys over their graves, we leave them alone 
in their glory, to await the sound of the last trump summoning 
them to judgment. 

The average mortality, out of from three to four thousand 
patients, during the summer of 1864, was from eight to ten daily. 
We buried twenty-six one day. 

Retiring from the grave, the band plays a lively, patriotic air, 
and the solemn scene closes, usually without a tear being shed, 
except when a relative happens to be present. The graveyard at 
Hampton Hospital, now containing some five thousand graves, 
is beautifully situated, and kept very clean and neat. A neat 



I 



324 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 



liead-board, bearing the name, date of death, company and regi- 
ment of each soldier, marks the spot where his mortal remains 
lie undisturbed. 

NATIONAL CEMETERIES. ' 

The following extracts from the Quartermaster-General's Re- 
port of 1868 show the number of United States soldiers interred 
in the following: National Cemeteries : 



Military Department of the East. 

Barnes of Cemeteries. Graves. 

1. Cypress Hills, L. 1 3,116 

2. Gettysburg, Pa 3,564 

3. In and around Philadel- 

phia, Pa 1,903 

4. Woodlawn Prison, N. Y 2,984 

5. Madison Barracks, N. Y 580 

12,147 

Department of Washington. 

1. Arlington, up to June 30, 

1868 15,547 

2. Soldiers' Home, D.C 5,488 

3. Alexandria Military, D.C. 3.635 

4. At Grafton, W.V 1,082 

5. Annapolis, Md 2,486 

6. At Antietam, Md 4,496 

7. At Pt. Lookout, Md., Rebels 2,466 

35,200 
The total number of U.S. soldiers in- 
terred in the Department of Washing- 
ton is 35,500, of which 28,085 can be 
probably identified. 

Department of Baltimore. 

1. London Park Cemetery, Md. 1,785 

2. The Laurel Cemetery, Md. 

Colored 229 

Total 2,014 

Of which 1,828 can probably be 
identified. 

Department of the Lakes. 

1. Mound City, 111 4,923 

2. Crown Hill, Indianapolis, 

111 708 

3. Rock Island, 111 135 

4. Camp Butler, 111 647 

6. Chicago, 111 342 



Names of Cemeteries. Graves^ 

6. Cincinnati, Ohio 655 

7. Columbus, Ohio 426 

8. Evansville, Ind -599 

9. Camp Denison, Ohio 339 

10. Quincy, 111 242 

11. Galliopolis, Ohio 158 

9,174 

Confederate Prisoners' Bodies. 

1. Chicago, 111 4,039 

2. Rock Island 1,928 

3. Camp Chase 2,050 

4. Green Lawn, Ind 1,556 

5. Camp Butler, 111 644 

6. Camp Denison, Ohio 31 

7. Mound City, 111...., 40 

Rebel prisoners of war 10,288 

First Military District. 

1. Richmond, Va 6,281 

2. Fort Harrison, Va 814 

3. Glendale, Va 1,196 

4. Cold Harbor,-Va 1,033 

5. City Point, Va 5,123 

6. Poplar Grove (Petersburg) 5,599 

7. Seven Pines, Va 1,349 

8. Yorktown, Va 2,180 

9. Danville, Va 1,316 

10. Hampton, Va 4,654 

11. Fredericksburg, Va 14,848 

12. Culpepper C. H., Va 1,327 

13. Winchester, Va 4,385 

14. Staunton, Va 7411 

50,854 
Of which 18,428 can probably be 
identified. 

Second Military District. 
1. Beaufort, S. C 10,000 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 



325 



Names of Cemeteries. Graves. 

2. Florence, S. C 2,795 

8. Wilmington, N. C 2,059 

4. Riileigh, N. C 3,287 

5. Newberne, N. C 1,187 

6. Salisbury, N. C 12,112 

7. At Charleston, S. C 80 

8. At Columbia, S. C 14 

31,534 
All of which have been re-interred. 
Of which 8,474 can probably be 
identified. 

Third Military District. 

1. Andersonville, Ga 13,705 

2. Marietta, Ga 9,972 

3. Mobile, Ala 834 

4. Barrancas, Fla 1,008 

Total 25,519 

Of which 21,040 can be probably 
identified; 12,519 of these have been 
re-interred up to date of report. 



Fourth Military District. 



1. Vicksburg, Miss 14,185 

2. Natchez, Miss 1,720 

3. Little Rock, Ark 4,050 

4. Fort Smith, Ark 1,583 

5. Fayetteville, Ark 1,202 



22,740 
Six thousand more are expected to 
be interred here ; of which 9,645 can 
probably be identified. 

Fifth Military District. 

1. Monument at Chalmetta,La. 12,230 

2. Baton Rouge, La 2,891 

3. Port Hudson, La 3,779 



Names of Cemeteries. Graves. 

4. Pinello, La 1,487 

5. Fort St. Philip, La 826 

6. Brownsville, Texas 1,763 

7. Galveston, Texas 383 

8. San Antonio, Texas 186 

23,045 
Of which 12,073 can be identified. 

Department of the Cumberland. 

1. Knoxville, Tenn 3,153 

2. Chattanooga, Tenn 12,924 

3. Stone River, Tenn 6.310 

4. Nashville, Tenn 16,329 

5. Cumberland River, at Fort 

Donelson, Tenn 656 

6. Shiloh, Tenn 3,582 

7. Mississippi River, Tenn.... 13,958 

8. Union, at Corinth, Miss.... 5,589 

9. New Albany, Ind 1,931 

10. Camp Nelson, Ky 2,856 

11. Mill Springs, Ky 707 

12. Lebanon, Ky 864 

13. Cave Hill, Louisville, Ky... 3,906 

14. Lexington, Ky 994 

15. Danville, Ky 355 

74,114 
Of which 45,189 can probably be . 
identified. 

Division of the Missouri. 

1. At Jefferson Barracks, Mo. 8,601 

2. At Jefferson City, Mo 635 

3. At Springfield, Mo 1,519 

4. At Fort Scott, Kansas 417 

5. At Fort Leavenworth, Ks.. 702 

6. At Keokuk, Iowa 627 

12,501 



GENERAL SUMMARY. 



Reports have been received from seventy-two national ceme- 
teries, and from three hundred and twenty local and post ceme- 
teries. 

The total number of bodies of United States soldiers reported 
throughout the United States is 316,233. The number of the 



326 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

same which can probably be identified is 175,764, or aboutj 
five-ninths of the whole number. The number of the same 
which cannot probably be identified is 140,469, or about four- 
ninths of the whole number. The number of bodies which 
have been re-interred up to date of report is 257,250, or about 
four-fifths of the whole number. The number of bodies which 
it is proposed to re-inter hereafter is 14,283 : thus the total 
number of bodies which will have been re-interred, in all, is 
271,533, or about five-sevenths of the whole number of bodies. 

The estimated aggregate of expenditure made by the Quarter- 
master's Department, on account of interments and other ceme- 
terial operations, up to June 30, 1868, is $2,801,352.49. The 
expenditures required for this purpose next fiscal year are esti- 
mated at $553,655.84. The aggregate amount of expenditures, 
past and future, will thus appear to be $3,355,008.33. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

SKETCHES BY CHAPLAIN MAKSHALL THE U. S. CHRIS- 
TIAN COMMISSION. 

A Theatre turned into a Religious Meeting — Masses of Sol- 
diers IN Camp Distribution — Their Profanity — Burlesque 
Military Drill — The Chaplain's Resolution — A Shout upon 
HIS Entrance — Theatrical Preparations — They Black Them - 
selves up — They Sing — Devotion Rises — God Helps — The 
Chaplain Reads, Speaks, Prays — They Sing with Great Power 
— They Visit the Reading-Room — Great Good done in a 
Short Time — "No more Swearing" — Sunday Night with the 
Dying — The Dying Sergeant sends for the Chaplain — The 
Weeping Father prays for His Dying Son — The Dying Lieu- 
tenant desires to be Prayed for — The Dying Captain's Warm 
Grasp — The Friendship of Christ — The U. S. Christian Com- 
mission—Its Origin — Officers — First Meeting — Its Spirit 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 327 

AND Zeal — Head-Quarters — Its Object — Fidelity of its 
Delegates — Its Efficiency and Contributions — Its Popu- 
larity — " God Bless the Christian Commission." 

A THEATRE TURNED INTO A RELIGIOUS MEETING* 

rpiIE mass of soldiers that came into Camp Distribution, Satur- 
J- day night, March 18, 1865, left for the front on the follow- 
ing day. On Monday night, over a thousand came in. They 
formed into a large ring in front of the barracks, and witnessed 
burlesque military drills by some of the muster. It was dark, and 
I elbowed through till I got to the circle ; but there was no time 
during the evening when I thought that I could successfully turn 
the amusement into a religious meeting. When I heard the ob- 
scene swearing, and the responsive laugh by the crowd to the low 
wit of the performers, I was upon the point several times of rushing 
into the ring, and having my customary say to the boys going to 
the front. But I failed to see the time when I might be success- 
ful, and failure would be worse than silence. " Taps " sounded, 
and all dispersed, — the soldiers to their bunks, and I went into 
the reading-room, feeling condemned that I had not made one 
effort for Christ and the salvation of some of these men who were 
on their way to the battles then raging ; and so I resolved, if they 
remained another night, that sink or swim, live or die, succeed or 
fail, I would sound the note of warning in their ears. Some of 
them were in the reading-room next day. Night came, and the 
soldiers were still there. It rained so hard that no performance 
could be held outside ; but to my utter surprise, when entering 
one end of the barracks, the other end was fitted up in a most 
theatrical style, and all the appointments and amusements of the 
stage were in full blast. I crowded through to the centre, and 
found a tall Irishman, as ringmaster or manager, blacked up 
like a negro, and several soldiers also blacked up as negro men 
and women, with banjos, violins, tambourines, sticks, &c., 
and soldiers' blankets suspended forming the screen from the 



* This and the following two articles are by Rev. James Marshall, late 
Chaplain U. S. A. 



328 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 

audience. What a shout went up as my coat, Bible, hymn-book, 
*fec., became visible ; but with my hand upon the shoulder of the 
manager, and a word to him, I said, " I have just a word to say 
to the boys, to-night. They are going to the front in the morn- 
ing, and though sorry to disturb their amusement, yet I might 
have no other opportunity." " Certainly, certainly," bowed the 
gracious manager, while I was upon a stool for the purpose, and 
with a word and a raised hand, and the help of the black Irish 
manager, I had a hearing in a moment. Referring to the fact 
that we were all actors on a terrible stage at the present time, 
and that many there might fall victims of the enemy's bullets 
before forty-eight hours, as the battles were then raging, and 
])ointing them to the dead-house of the hospital, within sound of 
our voice, in which were lying six soldiers, before whom that 
morning, not the curtain formed by their blankets, but the cur- 
tain of death had fallen, these facts confirmed silence, turned 
their thoughts into a new channel, and joined them almost un- 
consciously in singing a verse of " Alas ! and did my Saviour 
bleed?" which, perhaps, our friends at home were then singing 
at prayer-meetings in our behalf. Christian soldiers had confi- 
dence, raised their voices, and soon the full tide of devotion 
seemed flowing, — all fixed in their seats and hanging to their 
tiers of bunks, one above the other, and the black actors were 
all sitting motionless upon the floor, and gradually slinking back 
out of sight. Then was the time when the Holy Spirit told us 
what to say and how to say it. Reading the first Psalm, and 
(classifying my hearers thereby, I spoke fully an hour, first, be- 
cause they were so attentive, and again, because I did not want 
to leave them the time before " taps " to get back into their vile 
habits. I spoke plainly of their amusements of the night before, 
and hoped they would give way to me to-night. I told them 
that the vile epithets they used against our Lord and Saviour 
were worse than they would tolerate against the vilest wretch in 
society. We would not justify such opprobrium upon the worst 
man in the army. He would be unworthy of such disgrace ; and 
yet, when likely to be borne by the chances of war into His 
presence in a few hours or days, how could we conceive of our 



CHKISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 329 

reception into His presence. While He was pleading with the 
Father to forgive us our vile sins on His account, we were un- 
ceasingly fitting ourselves for the society of the vile and devilish. 
And yet His blood is sufficient to cleanse us from all these sins, 
and give us an interest in eternal life. After speaking an hour, 
they were ready and fitted to listen to prayer. After which, and 
singing again, in which went up a chorus of voices that sounded 
as though the very hosts of the redeemed were rejoicing, our hearts 
were tuned to the songs of the new life in God. After cordially 
inviting all to visit our reading-rooms and library the next day, 
till they were ordered to the front, and also to freely use pens, 
ink, paper, and envelopes and desks, to write letters to their 
friends in the North that God in his ])rovidence was throwing 
means of grace across their pathway to the battles, so that they 
might be without excuse, if they failed to recognize the goodness 
and mercy of our heavenly Father. 

The next morning, the reading-room was thronged till they 
Avere ordered to the front. They left solemnly, and with a dif- 
ferent spirit from that with which they entered. One man said to 
me that he did not believe that one man ever did so much good 
in so short a time before. " There was no more swearino; after 
you left the barracks." I could but weep when the poor fellows 
were marching away, hurled along by the providences of God 
like insects in an aerial current, God only knew whither. And 
thus, day after day, for a year and a half, in which some 
one hundred thousand men passed through that camp, was God's 
truth spoken and distributed, leaving the results to the great 
husbandman that garners for eternal glory the harvests flowing 
from such spiritual sowing. 

SUNDAY NIGHT WITH THE DYING. 

One Sunday night in March, 1865, I was conducting a meet- 
ing in the Bethesdian Chapel, which was crowded with soldiers. 
Several ministers were present, and doing the speaking. Among 
them was Dr. Specs, now of Iowa, and several others whose 
faces I see in memory, but whose names I do not now recall. 
At that time, the Hospital was full of sick and wounded. I had 



330 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

seen tliem all, and knew the worst cases. When the meetino; 
was half out, while a large audience was standing and sinking, a 
soldier entered, and came in haste up the aisle, and told me Ser- 
geant Greenough was dying in the seventh ward, and his father 
wanted me to come in at once. I handed my singing-book to 
Chaplain Billingsley, who was present, and requested him to lead 
the meeting to its close, and hastened to the seventh ward, where I 
found all the nurses and convalescents standing around Green- 
ough's bed. The ward was silent, and the father with his face 
buried in the clothes of the cot of his son, by which he was 
kneeling, and the son in the agonies of death. Such expressions 
of despair and fear and agony as appeared on his face, and such 
contortions, accompanied with moans and wails, were more than ' 
the weeping father or the strong soldiers could endure. He was 
unconscious. I could only pray for all present, in which that 
w^hole ward joined by their silence, broken only by their sobs. 
Almost immediately, on rising from my knees, some one told me 
that Lieutenant Hammond was dying in the second ward in 
the main building, and wanted to see me. Saying a few words 
to the father, and promising to return as soon as possible, I 
hastened to Lieutenant Hammond, found him conscious, resting 
on his chest, and several others with his father in the room. He 
said to me at once, " Chaplain, I can't live long. I want you to 
pray for me." After a few words of comfort, I prayed with him. 
He seemed so happy and resigned ; and while in the position of 
bending over from my chair talking with him, my back toward 
the door, some one, whom I did not see, whispered in my ear : 
"Captain Cameron wants to see you. He is dying." In a 
moment I went to another ward, found Captain Cameron bol- 
stered up, his eyes catching mine as I entered, looking so plead- 
ingly and imploringly. He was surrounded by several officers 
and nurses. But he was too far gone to speak. I talked to him 
of Christ's love, and bid him lay hold of that mercy, by faith, 
which saves and gives peace even to the uttermost ; and asked 
him to press my hand if he would like me to pray with him ; and 
such was that grasp, that my own emotions almost unfitted me 
for the solemn privilege, when I realized that a spirit from the 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 331 

eternal world was grasping for mercy. In a short time, Captain 
Cameron passed away, also Lieutenant Hammond and Sergeant 
Greenough, — all by midnight were gone from this world of war 
and sin, to receive the reward promised by a merciful God, ac- 
cording to their fidelity to the claims of the divine Son. 

THE FRIENDSHIP OF CHRIST. 

Two soldiers, whose limbs were amputated, and whose wounds 
were gangrened, knew that death was inevitable. They were 
lying in a tent, in the angle of a large ward in the form of a 
cross, only a few yards from the beach at Hampton Roads. 
Having left the large ward filled with wounded, I spent a few 
moments in conversation and prayer with the two sufferers. 
They were calm and resigned, and waiting for death, which was 
gradually approaching as quietly and surely as the darkness fol- 
lows the twilight after sunset. Stepping out upon the banks of 
the water in that starry midnight hour, my soul was thrilled 
with peculiar emotions, as I listened to the soughing winds as they 
played over the waters, and the moaning waves as they broke 
against the beach, mingling their sad wails with the groans of 
the wounded and dying, and the great relief of my heart was 
these men are the friends of Christ, and, better, Christ is their 
friend, and nothing can separate them. His triumph over death 
is the sure pledge they shall be victors. His resurrection is the 
assurance that they shall enjoy the full fruition of eternal glory. 

" Sweet to look inward and attend 
The whispers of his love ; 
Sweet to look upward to the place 
Where Jesus pleads above." 

THE UNITED STATES CHRISTIAN COMMISSION. 

Besides the labors of the chaplain, the work of the U. S. 
Christian Commission was the grandest exhibition of Christian- 
ity in the war. This Commission rose as if by magic. No 
sooner was the war inaugurated, and the men in the field began 
to get sick, wound, kill, and devour one another, than the people 



332 CHRISTIANITY IN THE AYAR. 

at home began to provide for their wants. Organized, Novem- 
l)er 15, 1861, in New York City, the Commission held its first 
meeting immediately after in Washington City, and was there 
fully organized by choosing G. H. Stuart, Esq., chairman, B. F. 
Mannierre, secretary and treasurer, and G. H. Stuart, Bishop 
J. S. Janes, Rev. Dr. Cutler, C. Demond, and B. F. Mannierre, 
an executive committe. 

A plan of operations was agreed upon at once, and, having 
secured the approbation and commendation of the President, 
Secretary of War, and the Commander-in-chief of the Army, the 
great work was commenced, jNIoved, it would seem, by the 
spirit of God, and with a warm affection for the soldier, and a 
strong determination to quell the rebellion, the fathers, mothers, 
sons, and daughters rose almost en masse to aid this noble work. 
The women knit socks, made clothes, prepared provisions, deli- 
cacies, and cordials for the needy soldiers, and the men conveyed 
them to them. The people gave money by the million. And the 
glorious work went on with a zeal and success unparalleled in the 
history of the world. The head -quarters of the Commission were 
lirst established at New York ; but were soon removed to Phila- 
delphia, where, through the liberality of its honored chairman, it 
obtained office-room, room for storage, the service of clerks, etc., 
free of charge. W^ith the main central office at Philadelphia, 
and superintended by the efficient chairman, the affiiirs of the 
Commission were conducted with great energy and strict economy. 

It was the glory of this noble institution, that its gifts and 
labors were gratuitous. It was not got up for mere pay; no, it 
rose from a strong desire to promote the spiritual and temporal 
welfare of the soldier and sailor, and to save the country. The 
streams of benevolence, and the disposition to help the soldier, 
seemed to rise as the exigency of the case required. The faithful 
delegates, watching the movements of the armies, were always 
•m hand, ready to take off the wounded as soon as they fell upon 
the gory field. The writer heard Rev. Dr. Stockton, heading a 
delegation of delegates direct from the battle of the Wilderness, 
tell President Lincoln that they had given the first cup of warm 
coffee to the wounded of that battle. And when over sixteen 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 333 

thousand of our brave heroes fell killed and wounded at the 
(iecisive battle of Gettysburg, the delegates and the people rushed 
in by thousands to help take care of them. 

The efficiency and success of the Commission were wonderful. 
Beginning with eighteen members in 1861, before the close of 
the war it had engaged nearly five thousand delegates laboring 
for the temporal and spiritual wants of the men. Talking 
Christ to them, preaching to and jd raying for and with them, 
was the principal business of a great part of the delegates. In 
all, they preached to them over 58,000 sermons, and held with 
them over 77,000 prayer-meetings, and gave them 1,466,748 
Bibles and parts of Bibles, 18,000,000 religious newspapers, 
1,370,000 hymn-books, over 8,000,000 knapsack - books, and 
39,000,000 pages of tracts, and wrote for them 92,000 letters. 
Tlie total value of the whole amount contributed in four years 
was $6,291,107 68. With zealous hearts these noble brethren 
" went about doing good," relieving and comforting the officer, 
soldier, and sailor wherever they found them. 

The high appreciation of the Commission, and the hearty 
reception of its delegates by the men, was evinced by their mani- 
fest gratitude and the soldier's oft-repeated prayer, "God bless 
the Christian Commission ! " As a soldier was about leaving a 
delegate, one day, to go to his regiment, he said to him, "God 
bless you, my dear brother, for coming to work for the soldiers ! 
You have been the means of saving my poor soul ! " The high 
standing of the Commission among the leading officials of the 
nation Avas shown by their deep interest in the work, and their 
attending its annual meetings. 

Abundantly blessed of God, its name, its labors, and its good 
fruits will go down to future generations, and do good through 
all coming time. Eternity only will reveal the good it has 
accomplished. 



334 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 



CHAPTER XXIIL 

DISTINGUISHED MEN OF THE WAR. 

REV. P. D. GURLEY. D.D. 

His Birth — Pious Mother — Childhood — Desire for the Ministry — His 
Education — Works his own Way through Union College — His Piety 
when a Boy — Studied Theology at Princeton — His Standing in his 
Class — Graduates at Princeton, and Receives a Call to Preach in In- 
dianapolis — His Marriage — His Ordination — Successful Labors — 
Accepts a Call to Dayton, Ohio — Leaves Dayton and goes to Washing- 
ton, D. C. — Summoned to Lincoln's Death-Bed — Impressive Scene — 
Prays at his Death — Presides at a Meeting of the Clergy of the District 
of Columbia — Preaches at Lincoln's Funeral — Dr. Hall reads the 
Episcopal Burial Service — Bishop Simpson's Opening Prayer — " Cling 
to Liberty and Right" — Composed a Hymn for the Funeral — Bishop 
Simpson's Sermon at the Grave — Dr. Gurley's Christian Character — 
His Ability in Prayer — Successful as a Minister — His Gifts — He Com- 
forts the Afflicted — His Popularity — His Death — His Rapturous 
Foretastes of Heaven — His Dying Requests to his Family and Friends 
— Last Words — Dr. Sunderland's Remarks at the Funeral — His Peo- 
ple's Affection for him. 

OF all the ministers of the Gospel who officiated in the late 
American conflict, none performed a more difficult and 
important part tlian Dr. Gurley. Although not formally con- 
nected with the army, yet, preaching in the National capital, his 
influence was deeply felt among the leading men of the nation, 
many of whom were regular attendants upon his ministrations. 
He was the intimate friend and pastor of Abraham Lincoln, and 
officiated at his death and funeral. 

Born of parents of limited means in 1816, in the State of 
New York, he was once a poor country boy. Brought up by a 
devotedly pious mother, who trained him for God, he met with 
a bright conversion when he was about fifteen years of age. 
Strong in faith, and possessing an ardent desire to glorify his 
Saviour, he soon became convinced that it was his duty to con- 




p. D. G U R L E Y. 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE AVAR. 335 

secrate himself to the Avork of the gospel mhiistiy. With his 
heart fixed upon this important work, he set out to obtain an 
education, and Avorked his OAvn Avay through Union College, in 
July, 1837, Avith the highest honors of his class, and entered 
the Theological Seminary at Princeton, IST. J., the following fall. 
Plere he made such rapid progress that he AA'^as soon regarded as 
the foremost man in his class. Constrained by a Saviour's love, 
even Avhile at college, his life and example Avere so humble and 
consistent, that one of the Avildest and roughest of his class- 
mates said, "If all Christians Avere like Gurley, I would give 
the Avorld to be one." Blessed Avith good sense and sound judg- 
ment, and possessing a mild, genial, sociable, and jovial disposi- 
tion, ]\Ir. Gurley was very highly esteemed by all who knew him. 

Graduating at Princeton Seminary in the fall of 18 40, full of 
vigor and hope, with a strong desire to do good, his oft-repeated 
prayer aaIis, " Oh, if I only knew where God would make me 
most successful in Avinning souls to Christ, there I Avould go!" 
and in a few AA^eeks lie received a call from the First Presbyterian 
Church of Indianapolis, Ind. Having marrie<l Miss Emma 
Brooks, of Parish ville, N. Y., October 7, 1840, Mr. Gurley 
and his lady immediately set out for their new field of labor ; 
after travelling over heavy roads in coaches and big wagons some 
two Aveeks, they reached Indianapolis, and met with a A^ery warm 
reception from their new friends. 

Mr. Gurley was ordained and installed the following December; 
and giving himself Avholly to the Avork, although he had the 
genius and ability of Rev. Plenry Ward Beecher to compete with, 
his labors were abundantly blessed, and his church being croAvdcd 
to OA'crfiowing, the congregation soon built a new house. 

After nine years of very successful labor in Indianapolis, Rev. 
P. D. Gurley accepted a call, and moved to Dayton, Ohio, Avhere, 
having labored four years Avith signal success, he accepted a call, 
and removed to Washington City in 1854 ; and subsequently 
became pastor of the New York Avenue Church, Avhere the Lord 
so abundantly blessed his labors that the congregation soon built 
him another fine, new house of Avorship. Preaching to presi- 
dents, heads of departments, senators, j udges, generals, admirals, 



336 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

and congressmen, and conversing with them about their spiritual 
interests as occasion offered, his church grew from one hundred 
and sixty members, when he took charge of it, to four hundred 
and fifty at his death. 

As an example of his popularity as a preacher with distin- 
guished men. President Lincoln said to a friend one day, " I 
like Dr. Gurley. He don't preach politics : I get enough of 
that through the Aveek; and when I go to church, I like to hear 
the gospel." 

Amidst all this religious prosperity, great national events were 
crowding upon us. Richmond liad fallen. General Lee had just 
surrendered, and the nation was all a-glow with the highest rejoic- 
ing over the glorious victory achieved. But, alas ! how sudden 
the change ! Quick, almost as a flasli of lightning, the highest 
rejoicing was turned into the deepest mourning. 

As the out-cropping of the rebellion, an atrocious assassin, 
reeking with cruel revenge, stealthily inflicted a mortal blow 
upon President Lincoln, and plunged the nation into the most 
bitter sorrow. And now it would seem as though God had 
raised up and expressly prepared Dr. Gurley, by a rich experi- 
ence, for the solemn and important work before him. Pie is im- 
mediately summoned to the bedside of the dying President. How 
solemn and impressive the tragic scene ! It is most heart-rend- 
ing, and beggars all description ! For solemnity and awfulness, 
it is unparelleled in the history of the world. The weeping- 
Cabinet gaze with smitten hearts. The anguished wife and son 
wring their lacerated hearts with grief. The nation is wrapped 
in mourning and bathed in tears, and Dr. Gurley sits weeping 
l^eside her unconscious, dying head. Mute in the agonies of 
death, the martyred hero never spoke after the fatal stroke. 

The clock strikes seven : his breath grows short; and in twenty- 
two minutes more his noble spirit left its clay tenement, and 
returned to God who gave it. Dread silence reigns ; and after 
a short pause. Secretary Stanton, turning to Dr. Gurley, said, 
"Doctor, will you say something?" Whereupon, with a mo- 
ment's reflection, the doctor, addressing himself to the bereaved 
friends, said, 

" LET us TALK WITH GOD ; " 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 337 

and, kneeling down, he oifered up a most tender and impressive 
prayer, " which seemed to cheer and lighten the burden of every 
weeping heart." Mrs. Lincoln having been in an adjoining 
room with some sympathizing friends, when the President ex- 
pired, the doctor went in, and prayed again with them, com- 
mending the bereaved family to God and the riches of his grace. 

Tavo days after President's Lincoln's death, Dr. Gurley, by a 
unanimous vote, presided over a very large meeting of the clergy 
of all denominations in the District of Columbia, suddenly 
convened to express their views and feelings touching the late 
national bereavement, and their good wishes and sympathies for 
the newly-inaugurated President. Arrangements having been 
made, and the time fixed, the meeting, en masse, called to see 
President Johnson ; and on their approaching him, after they 
were severally introduced, Dr. Gurley made a very appropriate, 
touching, and impressive speech, tendering him their warmest 
sympathies, and promising him their daily prayers, to which he 
appropriately replied, with deep emotions, expressing, in strong 
terms, his thanks to them, his deep sense of the solemnity of his 
situation, and of the responsibility resting upon him. 

At the funeral of Abraham Lincoln, Rev. Dr. Gurley delivered, 
in the east room of the executive mansion, an address, which, in 
the language of Rev. Dr. W. E. Schenck, of Philadelphia, " for ap- 
propriateness, pathos, and genuine and rich scriptural sentiments, 
has few equals in the English language." 

After the reading of portions of the Episcopal burial service 
by the Rev. Dr. C. H. Hall, and the offering up of an appro- 
priate, impressive prayer by Bishop Simpson, of the M. E. 
Church, Dr. Gurley began his sermon in the following impressive 
words : — 

" We recognize and adore the sovereignty of God. His throne 
is in the heavens, and his kingdom ruleth over all. It was a 
cruel hand, the dark hand of the assassin, that smote our 
honored, wise, and noble President, and filled the land with 
sorrow. But above this hand there is another, which we must 
see and acknowledge. It is the chastening hand of a Avise and 
faithful God. He gives us the bitter cup ; we yield to the behest, 
22 



338 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAE. 

and drink the draught. . . . The people confided in the late 
lamented President with a firm and loving confidence, which no 
other man enjoyed since the days of Washington. He deserved 
it well, and deserved it all. He merited it by his character, and 
by his acts, and by the whole tenor, and tone, and spirit of his 
life. He was wise, simple, and sincere; plain and honest; truth- 
ful and just ; benevolent and kind. His perceptions were quick 
and clear, his judgment was calm and accurate, his purposes were ! 
good and pure beyond a question ; always and everywhere he 
aimed to he right and to do right. His integrity was all-pervad- 
ing, all-controlling, and incorruptible. He gave his personal 
consideration to all matters, whether great or small. How firmly 
and well he occupied his position, and met all its grave demands ; 
in seasons of trial and difficulty, is known to you all, to the ; 
country, and to the world. He comprehended all the enormity 
of treason, and rose to the full dignity of the occasion. He saw 
his duty as chief magistrate of a great and imperilled people,^ 
and leaned on the arm of Him who giveth power to the faint, , 
and who increaseth strength. 

" Never shall I forget the emphasis and the deep eraotion with 
which he said, in this room, to a company of clergymen and 
others who called to pay their respects, in the darkest days of 
our civil conflict : ' Gentlemen, my hope of success in this great 
and terrible struggle rests on that immutable foundation, — the 
justice and goodness of God ! And when events are very threat- 
ening, and prospects very dark, I still hope that, in some way 
which man cannot see, all will be well in the end, because our 
cause is just, and God is on our side.' 

" Such was his sublime and holy faith, and it was an anchor 
to his soul, both sure and steadfiist. It made him firm and 
strong; it emboldened him in the pathway of duty, however 
rugged and perilous it might be. It made him valiant for the 
right, for the cause of God and humanity ; and it held him in 
steady, patient, and unswerving adherence to a policy of ad- 
ministration which he thought, and which we all now think, 
both God and humanity required him to adopt. We admired 
and loved him, on many accounts, for strong and various reasons. 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 339 

We admired his childlike simplicity, his freedom from guile and 
deceit, his staunch and sterling integrity, his kind and forgiving 
temper. . . . But more sublime than any of all these, more 
holy and influential, more beautiful, and strong, and sustaining, 
was his abiding confidence in God and in the final triumph of 
truth and righteousness throuo-h him and for his sake. This 
was his noblest virtue, his grandest principle, — the secret alike 
of his strength, his patience, and his success ; and this, it seems 
to me, after being near him steadily and with him often for 
more than four years, is the principle by which, more than by 
any other, ' He being dead, yet speaketh.' By this he speaks to 
his successor in office, and charges him to have faith in God ; by 
this he speaks to the members of his Cabinet, to all who occupy 
positions of influence and authority, and charges all to have 
faith in God ; by this he speaks to this great people as they sit 
in sackcloth to-day, and weep for him with a bitter wailing and 
refuse to be comforted, and he charges them to have faith in 
God ; and by this he will speak through the ages and to all 
rulers and peoples in every land, and his messages to them will 
be, ' Cling to liberty and right ; battle for them, bleed for them, 
die for them, if need be, and have confidence in God ! ' Oh, 
that the voice of this testimony may sink down into our hearts 
to-day, and every day, and into the heart of the nation, and 
exert its appropriate influence upon our feelings, our faith, our 
patience, and our devotion to the cause, now dearer to us than 
ever before, because consecrated by the blood of its most con- 
spicuous defender, its wisest and most fondly trusted friend." 

The following graphic lines, breathing a lofty spirit of ardent 
patriotism, were composed by Dr. Gurley as they journeyed from 
Washington to Springfield, and sung at Lincoln's grave : 

"Rest, noble martyr, rest in peace; 
Rest with tlie true and brave 
Who, like thee, fell in freedom's cause. 
The nation's life to save ! 

"Thy name shall live while time endures; 
1 And men shall say of thee, 

He saved his country from its foes, 
And bade the slave be free. 



340 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 

"These deeds shall be thy monument; 
Better than brass or stone : 
They leave thy fame in glory's light, 
Unrivalled and alone. 

" This consecrated spot shall be 
To freedom ever dear; 
And Freedom's sons of every race 
Shall vs^eep and worship here. 

"0 God! before whom we, in tears, 
Our fallen chief deplore. 
Grant that the cause for which he died 
May live forever more." 

At the close of Bishop Simpson's sermon at the grave, Dr. 
Gurley made a few remarks, oifered the closing prayer, and, after 
singing the above hymn, pronounced the benediction ; and the 
solemn funeral services at the tomb of Lincoln closed. 

" When we come to speak of Dr. Gurley as a Christian," says 
Dr. Schenck, " we are at a loss to find terms sufficiently expres- 
sive." Crucified to the world, he was devoted, earnest, self- 
denying. Living nigh to God, and wholly consecrated to his 
service, he was powerful and prevalent in prayer. Many good 
judges have said they never heard his equal in prayer. A dis- 
tinguished U. S. senator said that the prayer offered by Dr. 
Gurley, while standing by the remains of Abraham Lincoln in 
the executive mansion, just before they started for Springfield, 
made a deeper impression upon him than anything he had ever 
heard. Laborious and faithful as a pastor, he was eminently 
successful. With a burning desire for the salvation of souls, 
like Jesus, " he went about doing good, " " always abounding 
'in the work of the Lord." Said Dr. Edwards, who preached 
his funeral sermon, " He was all faithfulness and all tenderness." 
Blessed with wisdom, patience, and forbearance, and possessing 
a large, loving heart, glowing with compassion and filled with 
" unction from the Holy One," he was exceedingly well qualified 
to administer comfort to the afflicted. With all these gifts and 
graces, Dr. Gurley " was a burning and shining light," and a 
living embodiment of the doctrines of the cross. Highly esteemed 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 341 

by all, in the language of ex-President Pearce, " He was a great 
and good man." 

HIS DEATH. 

From one so faithful in life, we could scarcely expect any- 
thing but triumph and glory in his death. The hallowed scene 
of his last hours was most touching and impressive. Such con- 
stancy, such faith and Christian heroism as he exhibited, and 
such unutterable joy and sweet communion with God as he 
enjoyed, is very seldom realized on earth. His whole life after 
he gave up to die seemed more like heaven than earth. At 
times he enjoyed such rapturous foretastes of heaven that, like 
the dying Payson, " he seemed to swim in a flood of glory." 
In the language of Dr. Schenck (who preached his memorial 
sermon), " His last words were full of Jesus and redemption. 
With his expiring breath he gave glory to God ; the impenitent 
were entreated to come to Jesus ; his family and friends were all 
commended to the Saviour's care, and his fellow-ministers, who 
approached him, were exhorted to go on preaching Christ." To 
Rev. Dr. Byron Sunderland, who visited him shortly before his 
death, he said, " That Jesus, which we have preached so long to 
others, is with me now." To an aged relative. Rev. R. R. Gurley 
he said, " My dear cousin, I am going home before you. We 
have a long line of pious ancestry in heaven ; soon you will join 
me there, and then we will talk it all over. God bless you and 
yours ; and now," (raising his emaciated hands), he exclaimed, 
*' Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. 
Amen and amen ! " To his son-in-law. Major E., he said, while 
pressing his face to his own, " My dear son, I love you as though 
you were my own son. Come out from the world, and cast in 
your lot with the people of God." To his eldest daughter, Mrs. 
Major E., pressing her to his breast, he said, "My dear daughter, 
spend that sweet voice in singing for Jesus. Throw away all 
other music, and sing only the songs of Zion." To his three 
sons, who stood near, he said, " My dear sons, I have tried to 
train you for God ; now I must leave you with him. ' Live nigh 
unto him.' " To his youngest, a little daugliter of nine, he 
said, " Little darling, live for Jesus." To his beloved wife he 



342 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

said, " My clear, dear wife, you have ray heart next to Jesus, 
ray whole heart ; you always have had. I have many prayers 
lodged in heaven for you against the time of trial. Jesus will he 
your friend. I am only going a little before you. I shall be there 
waiting for you." When asked, toward the close, " Have you 
peace ? Is Jesus with you now ? " he answered, " Yes, oh, yes ; 
all is peace ! " His peace flowed like a river ; and, said Dr. 
Edwards, in his funeral serraon, " He was strong in faith, like 
Abrahara ; patient, like Job ; exulting, like Habakkuk." AVhen 
asked, at the very last, " Are you resting in Jesus ? " he answered, 
" Yes, oh, yes, a thousand times, yes ! " And, with his mind 
clear and bright to the last, thus he lingered until the morning 
of September 30, 1868, when "the golden bowl was broken," 
and his happy, blood-washed soul went home to glory, crowned 
with a martyr's crown. Said Rev. Dr. Sunderland, in his closing 
remarks at the funeral, " It is natural for us to sorrow. It has 
been ever thus, when the great and good depart. When the 
Reformer QCcolampadius died at Basle, the whole city was 
plunged into mourning. Zwingle, of Zurich, had already fallen 
in battle. * And now,' says the historian, ' there was a great 
void and a great sorrow in the Church of Christ. Dissensions 
vanished before these two graves, and nothing could be seen but 
tears. . . . Luther himself was moved ; and, raany years after- 
ward, he said to Bullinger, "Their death filled me with such 
intense sorrow that I was near dying myself." ' So does it seem 
after its kind hei-e to-day. Oh, stricken family ! oh, smitten 
flock ! oh, afflicted city ! another severe blow has fallen from 
God's hand, not to make us doubt his faithfulness, but to 
bring us, we know it, nigher to him, and so nigher to each 
other ! " 

In the church, at his funeral, besides many other strong ex- 
pressions of love and sorrow, they had placed against the wall 
of the alcove, in the rear of the pulpit, in large evergreen letters, 
the inscription, " Behold, how we loved him ! " 







ISlS.HlHAW) 



CHEISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 343 



OLIVER O. HOWARD. 

His Birth — Boyhood — Early Religious Training — A Christian Gentle- 
man — He Graduates at Bowdoin College; also at West Point Acad- 
emy in 1854 — His Patriotism — Appointed Colonel of Third Regi- 
ment Maine Volunteers — Is Promoted for Bravery — Joins Army of the 
Potomac — Wounded at Battle of Fair Oaks — Had his Arm Ampu- 
tated — Returns Home the Next Day — Lectures the People, and Urges 
Them to Come to the Rescue of the Country — He Returned in Time 
for the Battles of Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Chancel- 
lorsville — His Position at the Battle of Gettysburg — His Calmness in 
Battle — Is Temperate — Gen. Sherman's High Opinion of him — His 
Warm Attachment for Capt. Griffin — He Prays with him, and Bids 
him a Final Farewell — "It is the Last Time" — Appointed Commis- 
sioner of the Freedmen's Bureau — Howard University a Monument 
of his Benevolent Efforts. 

IN exhibiting the individual power of " Christianity in the 
War," we know of no brighter example in the army than 
Gen. Howard. Brought up in New England, and thoroughly 
instructed in the doctrines of the Bible and Puritanic orthodoxy, 
he has ever been from his boyhood an ornament to the Church. 
Booted and grounded in love, he carries his religion about witli 
him wherever he goes. With the law of the Lord written upon 
his heart, he lives it out in his life. An embodiment of the 
Christian gentleman and of the heroic soldier, ever earnest and 
faithful, " he is a tower of strength," and well deserves the title, 
" The Havelock of America." Even when he entered the army, 
with all its alluring temptations, he exhibited the same inflexible 
spirit of steadfastness and self-denial. 

Born, November 8, 1830, in Leeds, Me., Oliver Otis Howard 
was made an orphan by the death of his father when he was 
about ten years old. Being taken then under the care of his 
uncle, John Otis, he went through Bowdoin College, and gradu- 
ated at West Point Academy in 1854. Without fully tracing 
his military career, we find him, at the breaking out of the 
rebellion. Assistant Professor of Mathematics at West Point. 
Burning with patriotic ai'dor, and desiring to draw his sword in 
quelling the rebellion, he sought the command of a regiment of 



344 CHRISTIAXITY IN THE WAR. 

volunteers from his own State at the beginning of the war. This 
request being refused by the War Department, he resigned his 
commission in the regular army, and was soon after appointed, 
l)y the Governor of Maine, Colonel of the 3d Regiment of Maine 
Vol., in May, 1861. For bravery and worthy conduct at the 
Ijattle of Bull Kun, he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier- 
General. 

Having joined the army of the Potomac in the following 
December, he was raised to the command of the 11th Army Corps 
in the fall of 1863, and shared in the glory of all the principal 
battles of that glorious old army. Having been twice wounded 
in the right arm at the battle of Fair Oaks, he had his arm cut 
off; yet, with heroic devotion to his country, he started home the 
next day, and though weak from the loss of blood and from the 
severe shock of the wound, he spent two months of his disability 
for actual service in the army in lecturing the people of his 
native State, urging them to go forward and fight for the salva- 
tion of the country. He returned, however, in time for the 
1:)loody battles of the second Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericks- 
burg, and Chancellorsville, where he rendered important service, 
and fought with undaunted courage. 

At the decisive battle of Gettysburg, it is said, Howard's 
troops held the key of the situation ; yet, brave and courageous, 
this heroic general stood undismayed amid all the shock and 
terror of that tremendous fight. A soldier, who was with him 
during that awful conflict, in speaking of his calmness, said, 
" Gen. Howard stood there as if nothing at all was the matter. 
He never takes stimulants either. INIost of the officers do, but 
he never does. He was so calm, because he was a Christian." 
Col. Bowman says, " Gen. Howard is careless of exposing his 
person in battle to an extent that would be attributable to rash- 
ness or fatalism, if it were not known to spring from religion." 
In all his campaigns with Sherman he was noted for his prompt- 
ness and fidelity in the discharge of duty, and for his calmness 
and fearlessness in battle. With all these noble qualities. Gen. 
Howard soon won the profound respect of Gen. Sherman ; and, 
in speaking of him at the end of one of his campaigns, in his 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 345 

report to Gen. Grant, he said, "In Gen. Howard, throughout, 
I found a polished and Christian gentleman, exhibiting the 
highest and most chivalrous traits of the soldier." 

During the trials and associations of army life, a very warm 
personal attachment was formed between Gen. Howard and 
Capt. Griffin, a member of the general's staff. Capt. Griffin 
was mortally wounded at the battle of Gettysburg ; and when 
orders came to pursue the retreating foe, it was a melting scene 
to see the kind-hearted general hasten to bid his highly-esteemed 
friend a last farewell. The time is short, and the interview must 
be brief. They had long fought together in defending their 
country ; they had long shared in the hardships, glories, and 
honors of war ; but now they must part to meet no more on 
earth. " It is the last time." How solemn and impressive the 
scene ! AVith a few words of tender sympathy, the general reads 
a few verses from the fourteenth chapter of John, and, bowing 
liis knees, pours out his soul to God in commending his dying 
friend to the mercy and compassion of an almighty Saviour ; and 
rising from his bended knees, grasps him in a long, tender, affec- 
tionate, weeping embrace. And now, with a warm shake of the 
liands and a hearty " God bless you ! " the general bids the 
dying captain a final farewell. Thus they parted — one to go to 
fight the battles of the Lord here on earth, the other to swell 
the ranks of the redeemed in heaven. 

At the close of the war. Gen. Howard, having won the full 
confidence of the nation, was appointed Commissioner of the 
Freedmeu's Bureau, a position for which he was eminently 
qualified. And having entered upon the arduous duties of this 
important and responsible position with characteristic zeal, his 
unremitting and self-denying efforts to help and elevate the poor 
freedmen have been eminently successful. Supplied by the libe- 
ral hand of the Government, he has fed the hungry and clothed 
the naked of millions of God's poor. The firm basis he has suc- 
ceeded in establishing for their education, and the great start he 
has given them in becoming self-sustaining, will prove a great 
and lasting blessing to this rising race. 

Howard University itself will prove a standing monument of 



346 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 

this good man's efforts to educate and elevate the down-trodden 
freedmeu. Eternity only will reveal the good he has done; and 
for his successful labors, the general deserves the nation's thanks 
and the freedmen's warmest g-ratitude. 



BISHOP SIMPSON. 

His Nativity — His Education — Enters the Ministry — His Popularity — 
Elected President of Asbury University — Elected Editor of " Western 
Christian Advocate" — His Success — Elected Bishop — His Success 
and Administration — His Patriotism and Zeal in Quelling the Rebel- 
lion — Lincoln's Trusted Friend — His Prayer at Lincoln's Funeral — 
His Preaching Abilities — His Oration at Lincoln's Grave — Powers of 
Discrimination — Delineates Lincoln's Characteristics, and Points out 
the Secret of his Power — His Style of Preaching — He Preaches Christ 
— What he Covets — His Tour in the Eocky Mountains — Intimate 
with the Presidents of the United States — Appointed by President 
Grant to Visit San Domingo — His Present Standing, Influence, and 
Power — His Touching Peroration at Lincoln's Tomb. 

WHILE the learned Dr. McClintock, when living, stood as 
the prince of theologians. Bishop Simpson, to-day, stands 
as the prince of preachers in the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
And that is a very high attainment. To be a complete orator is 
the height of human perfection. To be able, with great success, 
to persuade men to renounce the world and give their hearts to 
God, is the highest and most honorable position this world 
affords. It is honorable to occupy presidential chairs, to sit upon 
dazzling thrones, to command armies and win victories — these 
are all honorable ; but for real grandeur and glory there is no posi- 
tion so honorable and useful as the faithful and successful ambas- 
sador of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the life and character of 
every one who has been eminently successful in this glorious work 
is well worthy of close investigation. 

Rev. Matthew Simpson, D. D., is a native of the State of Ohio. 
When and where he was born, after much inquiry, we have 
failed to ascei'tain. But it don't matter. It is enough for our 
present purpose to know that he has been born, acted his part in 




M A T T H K W SIMPSON. 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 347 

the affairs of the church and the world, and labored hard in 
quelling the Rebellion. He received his education at Alleghany 
College, Meadville, Pa., and it is said he afterward studied 
medicine. 

Having experienced a change of heart when quite young, and 
being sensible of the great things. God had done for him, and the 
consequent obligations resting upon him, after going through a 
theological course, be entered the ministry under the Pittsburg 
Conference in 1834. Possessing fine preaching abilities, and 
being devoted to the work, he improved so rapidly that he soon 
became known as one of the most impressive and eloquent 
preachers of the denomination. As his vigorous mind became 
more fully developed, his popularity and usefulness increased; 
and being a man of energy and ripe scholarship, he was elected 
President of Asbujy University, Greencastle, Indiana, in 1839 ; 
and he discharged the duties of that important position with so 
much ability, success, and satisfaction, that his reputation and 
influence, both as a teacher and as a pulpit orator, increased so 
fast that he was soon regarded as one of the leading men of the 
State. 

Improving in intellectual power and usefulness, and growing 
more and more in favor with the people, he was elected, by the Gen- 
eral Conference of 1848, to the responsible position of editor of the 
" Western Christian Advocate," one of the most important and 
influential official papers of the church. To fill this influential 
position well required rare qualifications and a peculiar tact. 
Yet Mr. Simpson, conscious of the fact that, wdiile occupying 
the editorial chair, he was speaking to many thousands every 
week, and making every one of them either better or worse by 
every issue of his paper, with his well -cultivated mind and 
tliorough knowledge of human nature and of the affairs of the 
church, made a very successful editor. But with all his pop- 
ularity and success as an editor, there was another step for Mr. 
Simpson to take. The church still kept calling him, " Go up 
higher ; " and thus advancing step by step, more and more de- 
veloping the great faculties of his head and heart, increasing his 
usefulness and power, until in 1852 the General Conference 



348 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

elected him to the important office of bishop in the Methodist 
Episcopal Church of the United States. Blessed with a vigor- 
ous mind, an indomitable will, and a persevering heart, Bishop 
Simpson possesses fine qualifications for an executive officer. 
And being zealous in the Master's cause, he discharges the 
duties of his office with becoming gravity and general satis- 
faction. Being thoroughly acquainted with the polity, the work, 
and the wants of the church, he makes one of the best and most 
efficient superintendents of the connection. With a wide sphere 
of labor, and having the care of so many churches, like other 
bishops he travels about from place to place, holding conferences, 
administering discipline, dedicating churches, preaching, and or- 
daining men to preach the gospel. Progressive in his views, 
and understanding all the wants and interests of the church, 
Bishop Simpson's administration has been marked for the breadth 
and liberality of his opinions on all questions pertaining to the 
polity of the church. Being strongly in favor of lay represen- 
tation, he has been identified with this great movement from the 
beginning. Through his persevering labors, aided by the co- 
operation of other leading men, their effijrts have at last been 
crowned with success, and the great Methodist Church of the 
land is now blessed with a lay representation. 

Full of patriotic ardor. Bishop Simpson has always stood firm 
for the flag of his country. He looks upon man's duty to his 
country as being second only to his duty to his Maker ; or, as he 
has (we believe) graphically expressed it : " Nail the Flag 
JUST BELOW THE Cross ; " or, as the Saviour says, "Render 
unto Ccesar the thing that are Caesar's, and unto God the things 
that are God's." In importance, the church is the centre of the 
universe. Around it everything else revolves. For the church, 
grass grows and water flows ; for the church, the sun shines by day 
and the moon and star^ by night. God the Father " gave his Sou 
to be head over all things to the church." Hence the impor- 
tance of faithfully doing your duty to your country, because a 
good, well-administered government tends so much to advance 
the prosperity of the church. Says "Harper's Weekly," "When 
the civil war broke out. Bishop Simpson exerted himself to the 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 349 

utmost in promoting the work of suppressing the RebeHion. He 
was the trusted friend of tlie lamented Lincohi ; " and by request 
he made the opening prayer at his funeral at the White House 
in Washington. This prayer is remarkable for its being very 
comprehensive, fervent, and appropriate. The earnest suppliant, 
having implored the Divine blessing to rest upon Lincoln's 
bereaved widow, upon his sons, upon his successor in office, 
prayed, " Lord, let thy blessing rest upon our country. Grant 
unto us all a fixed and strong determination never to cease our 
efforts until our glorious Union shall be fully re-established." 
" Around the remains of our beloved President may we covenant 
together, by eveiy possible means, to give ourselves to our 
country's service until every vestige of this Rebellion shall have* 
been wiped out, and until slavery, its cause, shall be forever eradi- 
cated. Preserve us, we pray Thee, from all complications with 
foreign nations. Give us hearts to act justly towards all nations, 
and grant unto them hearts to act justly towards us, that uni- 
versal peace and happiness may fill our earth. We rejoice then 
in this inflicting dispensation Thou hast given, as an additional 
evidence of the strength of our nation. We l^less Thee that no 
tumult has arisen, and in peace and harmony our government 
moves ouAvard, and that Thou hast shown that our Republican 
Government is the strongest upon the face of the earth. In this 
solemn presence may we feel that we, too, are immortal. Mav 
the sense of our responsibility to God rest upon us; may we 
repent of every sin ; and may we consecrate anew unto Thee all 
the time and all the talents which Thou hast given us ; and may 
we so fulfil our allotted duties that, finally, we may have a resting- 
place with the good and wise and great who now surround that 
glorious throne." 

As a preacher. Bishop Simpson has but few equals. Being 
an intimate friend of President Lincoln, lie was selected to de- 
liver the closing oration at his funeral at Springfield, Illinois. 
And his comprehensive grasp of the subject of his sermon on 
that occasion, and the masterly manner in which he treated 
the great topics therein discussed, denote a tliorough knowledge 
of the affairs of the world and of tlie human heart, and au 



350 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

ability to delineate and analyze human character seldom equalled. 
It is often very difficult to ascertain exactly wherein a great 
man's strength lies. Sometimes it is found in one faculty, and 
sometimes in another. And here the skilful orator, exploring 
the heart and scanning the mind of the martyred hero, points 
out with wonderful precision wherein his great strength lay. 
And where was it ? was it chiefly in his headf No. With all his 
mighty intellectual grasp and strong powers of quick perception 
and close discrimination, his great moral strength laid more in the 
goodness of his heart than in the brilliancy of his mind. " And," 
said Bishop Simpson, in his funeral oration, " if you ask me on 
what mental characteristics his greatness rested, I answer, on a 
quick and ready perception of facts ; on a memory unusually 
tenacious and retentive ; and on a logical turn of mind, which 
followed sternly and unwaveringly every link in the chain of 
thought on every subject which he was called to investigate. . . . 
Who that has read his messages fails to perceive the directness 
and simplicity of his style? And this very trait, which was 
scoffed at and descried by opponents, is now recognized as one 
of the strong points of that mighty mind which so powerfully 
influenced the destinies of the nation, and which shall for ages to 
come influence the destiny of humanity. 

" It Avas not, however, chiefly by his mental faculties that he 
gained such control over mankind. His moral power gave him 
pre-eminence. The convictions of men that Abraham Lincoln 
was an honest man led them to yield to his guidance. As has 
been said of Cobden, whom he greatly resembled, he made all 
men feel a sense of himself — a recognition of individuality, a 
self-relying power. They saw in him a man whom they believed 
would do what is right regardles/of consequences. It was this 
moral feeling that gave him the greatest hold on the people, and 
made his utterances almost oracular. When the nation was 
angered by the perfidy of foreign nations in allowing privateers 
to be fitted out, he uttered the significant expression, ' One war 
at a time,' and it stilled the national heart. There are instants 
which seem to contain germs which shall develop and bloom 
forever. Such a moment came in the tide of our own land, when 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 351 

a question must be settled wliich affected all the earth. The 
contest was for human freedom. Not for this republic merely, 
not for the Union simply, but to decide whether the people, 
as a people, in their entire majesty, were destined to be the gov- 
ernment, or whether they were to be subject to tyrants or aristo- 
crats, or to class of any kind. This is the great question for 
which we have been fighting, and its decision is at hand, and 
the result of the contest will affect ages to come. If successful, 
republics will spread, in spite of monarchs, all over this earth." 
[Exclamations of ''Amen," "Thank God."] 

With a warm, gushing heart, glowing with tenderness and 
sympathy. Bishop Simpson's manner partakes somewhat of the 
Whitefield style. Of the three great French pulpit orators, it is 
said that Bossuet addressed the imagination, Massillon, the heart, 
and Bourdaloue, the understanding. And while Dr. Simpson 
sometimes soars aloft in the field of imagination, yet generally he 
addresses himself more to the understanding and the heart. Full 
of vigor and life, his fine, charming voice and his plain, vivid, 
fluent style of presenting the truth give him a wonderful po^ver 
over his hearers ; and, rising with the importance of his subject, 
with all his majesty of thought, vehemence, and tenderness of 
manner, and irresistible strength of argument, he carries away 
his audience with a force almost irresistible. 

Bishop Simpson preaches Christ. His sermons, though graphic 
in description, touching and impressive, abound with the doc- 
trines of the Cross. And in grasping for the soul, he often says 
some very comprehensive and striking things. In his recent 
sermon before the New England Conference, he said, " If there 
is anything I covet in this world, it is the power of making man 
feel that he stands before the throne of God. I would covet the 
power to take my audience to the Cross, to let them see Jesus in 
all his mercy and in all his love." When the church is pressed 
for funds, if they want to raise a large collection, when Bishop 
Simpson is present they always put him up to preach ; and, by 
the power of his touching eloquence and earnest appeals in press- 
ing the wants of the church and the claims of the gospel, he 
never fails to secure a very large collection. During the late 



352 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

Rebellion the Bishop made a tour to Denver and the Gold Re- 
gions in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, preaching at every 
opportunity to lawyers, politicians, miners, and gamblers; and he 
always had very large, attentive congregations. 

Sometimes, in times of deep distress and great peril, when the 
destiny of the nation seems to hang upon the decision of the hour, 
and when the path of duty seems dark, and you knoAV not what 
to do, it is good to have a wise, trusty friend to consult with. 
Such a friend was Bishop Simpson to President Lincoln. 

But this eminent divine not only enjoyed the abiding confi- 
dence of President Lincoln, which he might have won during 
the anxieties, reverses, and successes of the war, but he also 
enjoys the friendship and full confidence of President Grant, 
who recently appointed him as one of the commissioners to visit 
San Domingo, to consult with others upon the propriety of 
annexing that fertile island to the United States. In point of 
standing, the Bishop still seems to be increasing in usefulness 
and rising in influence and power. 

We close this brief, imperfect sketch with the Bishop's graphic 
peroration at the tomb of Lincoln. Having quoted a touching- 
sentence of Lincoln, with deep and tender emotion he exclaimed: 
" Chieftain, farewell ! The nation mourns thee. JNIothers shall 
teach thy name to their lisping children. The youth of our 
land shall emulate thy virtues. Statesmen shall study thy 
record, and learn lessons of wisdom. Mute though thy lips be, 
yet they still speak. Huslied is thy voice, but its echoes of 
liberty are ringing through the world, and the sons of bondage 
listen with joy. Prisoned thou art in death, and yet thou art 
marching abroad, and chains and manacles are bursting at thy 
touch. Thou didst fall not for thyself. The assassin had no 
hate for thee. Our hearts were aimed at, our national life was 
sought. We crown thee as our martyr, and humanity enthrones 
thee as her triumphant son. Hero, martyr, friend, farewell! " 





'eiE-/^[D)ijMQ[a^[L [Do ©o [FA^\fS[Fj/^\©[i))^:^' :i fi . ;;^ , [^^i 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 353 



ADMIRAL FARRAGUT. 

A new Era in Naval Affairs — Fight between the Monitor and Merrimac — 
Progress in Destroying and Saving Man — Satan's Wlietting his Sword 
should Arouse the Church — Farragut's Birth — Enters the U. S. Navy — • 
His First and Second Engagements — Heroic Courage — Wounded — 
Highly Esteemed by his Commander — His Heroism Sleeps — Sails all 
over the World — Promoted — His Loyalty — Went North — Com- 
mands a Naval Expedition vs. New Orleans — His Large Fleet — Cap- 
tures New Orleans — Daring Feats in Capturing Vicksburg — His 
Stratagem and Heroism in Capturing Mobile — Lashed Himself to 
the Rigging of his Ship in Battle — Calls upon God for Help and 
Direction — Severe Fight with a Rebel Ironclad — He Whipped her — 
She Surrenders — Promoted Again — His Habits — Decorating his 
Grave — His Prayer in the Battle of Mobile Bay — " Go Forward " — 

' His Religious Life — Testimony of Lieut. Montgomery. 

THE late war established a new era in naval affairs. Hitherto 
the fighting at sea had been done on wooden vessels. But 
now, in the navy, " old things pass away, and all things become 
new." Fresh light having dawned upon the inventive genius 
of Captain Ericsson, he begins to construct war vessels upon a 
new and improved plan, and the feeble old wooden hulks give 
way to the introduction of the destructive ironclads. And 
althouo;h with those inferior crafts distinguished victories had 
been won, yet for speedy destruction of life, for naval skill 
and naval glory, those achieved under the new era are far 
greater. The unprecedented, fierce, and bloody fight between 
the Monitor and Merrimac, off Hampton Roads, Va., astonished 
the world. It put an end to the use of wooden vessels of war, 
and very materially changed the naval and military strength of 
the nations of the earth. And notwitlistanding the late great 
progress made in Christian civilization and in the arts and 
sciences, the introduction of ironclads into the navy, and the 
needle-gun and the mitrailleuse in the army, indicate a progi*ess 
in the art of war hitherto unknown. And when we view the 
awful carnage in the recent civil war in France, and look upon 
the sixty thousand uncoffined dead lying unburied in the bloody 
streets of Paris, we are led to believe that the recent progress 



354 ClIRISTIAXITY IN THE "WAR. 

made in the art of destroying man is much greater than any 
made to save liim. And as Satan is whetting his sword and 
devising new means for man's destruction, most assuredly the 
Church, under God, should search out and devise new measures 
for his salvation. 

In the galaxy of naval glory, no star shines brighter than the 
subject of this sketch. His father was a naval officer before him, 
and fought under Commodore Patterson a long while ago, at the 
battle of New Orleans. 

David Glascoe Farragut was born at Campbell's Station, in 
East Tennessee, in 1801. He joined the United States Navy 
when a boy of only nine years of age, and served a severe ap- 
prenticeship under Commodore Porter. His first naval engage- 
ment was under Porter in the Essex, with the English sloop-of- 
war Ale7-t, on the 13th day of April, 1812. Eager for action, 
as soon as the Alert saw the JEssex, she ran violently upon her, 
and with much loud cheering, opened her entire broadside upon 
her with great fury. The brave commodore, undismayed, and 
thirsting for victory, quickly replied with such terrible effect 
that the sinking Alert was knocked into drowning helplessness, 
and surrendered in eight minutes after commencing the fight. 

Farragut's next engagement was in the destructive fight in 
Valparaiso harbor with the British Captain Hillyar. In this 
noted combat the young midshipman displayed great courage. 
The British vessel, with a force double that of the Essex, by a 
gross violation of the laws of neutrality succeeded in destroying 
the Essex; yet Farragut, then but twelve years old, although he 
received a wound in the fight, stood firmly to his post to the very 
last. In this brave act of the young hero, you see iu embryo the 
heroic admiral. With his deck strewn with the killed and 
wounded, the humane Porter, when all hope was lost, surrendered 
his bloody wreck to save himself and the helpless wounded from 
a watery grave. With the other officers of the ship, Farragut 
was sent home on parole, accompanied with words of high com- 
mendation from Commodore Porter, who in his report to the 
Secretary of the Navy expressed his sincere regret that the noble 
boy was too young for promotion. It is more than probable that 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 355 

no other boy in the world, so young, ever endured with so much 
courage and firmness a fight so terrible and bloody. And such 
worthy and noble conduct in the young midshipman so com- 
pletely won the esteem of Commodore Porter that he at once })ro- 
vided fi>r his military and general education. But Farragut 
preferred the navy to the army, and as soon as the war was over 
lie went back to sea again. 

With these bright displays of bravery, the heroism of Far- 
ragut, for the want of opportunities to develop it, was suffered 
to lie almost dormant for over forty years. For some forty-five 
years he sailed about, all over the world, from place to place, 
commanding at different harbors, , slowly advancing in rank by 
seniority, until, in 1825, he was made lieutenant. In 1841 he 
became commander, and in 1851 he was raised to the rank of 
captain. 

When the rebellion burst upon the world, he had served forty- 
eight years in the United States Navy, yet with his great genius as a 
naval officer almost entirely undeveloped, and altogether unknown 
to the world. Having always lived in the South, it was expected 
he would secede and go with the South in their rebellion and trea- 
son ; but having sailed so long under the flag of his country, he had 
learned to respect and honor it too much to rebel and fight against 
it. He was living at Norfolk, A^a., at the time, and as soon as he 
publicly declared his principles, and made known his determina- 
tion to stand by his country, he was met with heavy frowns and 
severe threats. The hot-headed rebels told him it might be unsafe 
for him to utter, and remain in the South with, such sentiments. 
*' Very well," he said, " I will go where I can live with such 
sentiments;" and making ready, he left Norfolk on the night of 
the 18th of April, 1861, the very night before the rol^els fired 
tiie navy yard of that place. 

He sailed for the Hudson River, New York, and stopped for 
a short time near TarrytoNvn, where, being a perfect stranger, he 
was looked upon for a while with a good deal of suspicion. 

As the rebellion spread itself, the demand for naval strength 
increased. Captain Farragut received his first appointment Jan- 
uary 20, 18G2, to command the naval part of an expedition 



356 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

against New Orleans. After a tedious preparation, with a fleet 
of forty-six sail, the largest ever known in America at that time, 
Farragut sailed in his splendid flagship Hartford, from Hamp- 
ton Roads, February 3, 1862, and reached Ship Island, near New 
Orleans, by the 20th of the following March. 

The mortar vessels were commanded by Commodore D. D. 
Porter. After a short consultation with General Butler, it was 
concluded to advance. Farragut gave the command, and the 
vast fleet sailed up to the forts, and on the 18th of April com- 
menced a furious bombardment, which lasted six days. Finding 
the reduction of the forts rather a tedious job, Farragut concluded 
to pass them; and, dividing his squadron into two columns, 
after getting under way, they passed the forts imder a most furi- 
ous fire, in an hour and ten minutes. This was a very danger- 
ous feat. Of all injuries received, the Brooklyn fared the worst, 
which lost eight men killed and twenty wounded. The enemy's 
steam-rams ran a fire-raft aboard the Hartford, and drove her 
ashore; but the skilful commodore soon drew her ofl', but not 
without being severely injured. The forts having been thus 
passed, and the enemy's fleet sunk or captured, the Union fleet 
entered the harbor of New Orleans with but little opposition, and 
the city surrendered to Commodore Farragut, April 26, 1862. 

After things became a little settled. General Butler went in 
and took possession, and established his headquarters in the St. 
Charles Hotel, which had been closed for some time. He soon 
established martial law, instituted and maintained a government, 
though somewhat severe, admirably adapted to th^ city of New 
Orleans. After issuing his proclamation, he made a speech to the 
j)eople, and gave them to understand, with characteristic firm- 
ness, what he meant to do. 

Baton Bouge, Natchez, and other points above, yielded with- 
out making any opposition, at the approach of the Union forces ; 
and Commodore Farragut, with his vast fleet reinforced, received 
orders to open the Mississippi River from one end to the other. 

But this fiery trial and brilliant victory was only a prelude 
and a foretaste of what was to follow. 

Vicksburg was the next stronghold to be taken ; and on the 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 357 

26th of June the batteries around it were bombarded all day 
with but little effect. On the 27th, at the command of Commo- 
dore Porter, the town was shelled. Meanwhile the daring Far- 
ragut was lying five miles below, and while Porter was going on 
with his bombarding, he succeeded in passing the well-fortified 
city in the face of its blazing batteries, with eight vessels of his fleet, 
with a loss of only four killed and twenty wounded. Having 
got above the town, he was met by Commodore Davis, descend- 
ing from Memphis, when Farragut determined to open the river 
by cutting a canal through a tougue of land, and leave Vicksburg 
far to one side, entirely out of the way ; but the falling of the 
river thwarted his design, and compelled him to sail down the 
river for deeper water ; and the capture of the place at that time 
was abandoned. 

The attack on Vicksburg was resumed the following autumn. 
Meanwhile, the Federal arms had been crowned with such 
brilliant victories and successes in the earlier part of 1862, that, 
for a while, some entertained strong hopes of a speedy termina- 
tion of the war. The Confederates had been driven out of 
Missouri, Western and Middle Tennessee had been occupied by 
Union forces, and with the capture of Ncav Orleans (excepting 
Vicksburg and Port Hudson) the passage of the Mississippi 
was now clear. And Vicksburg, as it was strongly defended 
by nature, and much stronger by rebel forces, being the prin- 
cipal obstruction, an attack was made upon it first. An ex- 
pedition, under General Banks and Farragut, was to ascend the 
river from New Orleans to meet one under General Sherman 
and Commodore Porter from Memphis, while General Grant 
was to operate in the rear of the city. With this formidable 
combination, they hoped to take the place. But it fiiiled. 
And after this and other schemes had failed. General Grant 
determined upon the very dangerous plan of running a por- 
tion of the fleet past Vicksburg to make an attack below. And 
to aid in this, the fearless Farragut, inspiring his brave men 
with fresh courage by facing danger and death, attempted to 
pass Port Hudson with its impregnable fortifications and four 



358 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

miles of blazing batteries, with seven of his vessels — the Hart- 
ford, Albatross, Richmond, Kineo, 3Ionongahela, Genesee, and 
the Mississippi. With eyes flashing with courageous fire, the 
heroic admiral gives the command, and the daring fleet, falling 
into line, sails on through vast volleys of balls and bursting shells 
spreading death and destruction among the struggling ships and 
sailors. The awful firing was so severe and destructive that only 
two of the entire fleet, the Hartford and the Albatross, succeeded 
in passing. The Richmond was so severely damaged that she re- 
treated. The 3Iississippi was destroyed. About eighty persons 
of the fleet were killed in the hazardous undertaking. This was 
on March 14, 1863. The Federal army now being below Vicks- 
burg, and supported by the formidable fleet, the capture of the 
long sought-for city looked far less difficult. Although the 
rebels poured in their forces by tens of thousands to defend it, 
and although it was girded with seven hills by the God of na- 
ture, yet ere the setting of the bloody sun of July 3, 1863, it fell 
into the Federal hands, and surrendered to General Grant. 

But Farragut's greatest fight and grandest naval victory re- 
mains to be told. With the capture of Vicksburg, and the 
complete opening of the Mississijipi, his next great undertaking 
was the capture of Mobile. And, in order to understand the 
greatness of that victory, it will be necessary to know something 
about the strength of the fortifications to be overcome. Besides 
three lines of strong earthworks extending five or six miles in 
rear of the city, and five thirty-two rifled batteries strewn along 
the bay with immense obstructions of piles stuck in the channel, 
there played in the waters about the city the impregnable iron- 
clad ram Tennessee, and four large wooden gunboats besides. 
Yet Forts Morgan and Gaines at the mouth of JNIobile Bay con- 
stituted the principal obstruction in taking Mobile by sea. But 
before the unterrified admiral this mighty force was soon made 
to give way. Early in July, Farragut, with his fleet, accompa- 
nied by a land force under Generals Canby and Granger, arrived 
in Mobile Bay. After a short consultation between the admiral 
and the generals, it was determined to invest Fort Gaines first. 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 359 

For this purpose, the fleet covered tlie landing of a force of some 
four thousand men under General Grann-er. Meanwhile, feeling; 
their danger, the enemy kept pouring in troops and supplies into 
Fort Gaines to strengthen its defence. Early on August 4th, 
the Federal fleet, twenty-six sail, including two double and one 
single turrcted monitor, and one ironclad, commenced closing 
in their lines east of Fort Morgan, as though they were concen- 
trating their forces on Fort Gaines. But this was only a feigned 
preparatory step, and by forty minutes past five on the morning 
of August 5th, the mighty fleet, two abreast and lashed together, 
set sail. Grand and buoyant they steamed fearlessly up the main 
channel of the bay, and by forty -seven minutes past six the ironclad 
Tecumseh fired the first shot. In a few minutes the fort opened 
upon the fleet, and immediately tlie action became general. The 
fort played heavily on the Brooklyn and Hartford, and the fight 
began to wax very hot. Buoyant with hope and courage, thirst- 
ing for victory, the heroic admiral lashed himself to the mast of 
his ship the better to give command, and there, standing above 
the smoke and dust of battle, watched with eagle eye the pro- 
gress of the mighty conflict. Fighting with perfect desperation, 
the famous ironclad Tecumseh, shattered by a torpedo, careened 
and sank — nearly all on board sinking with her. Undis- 
mayed at this heavy loss, the persistent admiral, calling upon 
God for help and direction, at once peremptorily ordered up the 
wooden boats to fill up the loss. The flagship Hartford then led 
the fleet, and, urged on by their brave hero, they steamed stead- 
ily forward, maintaining a constant fire, and passed the destruc- 
tive forts a little before eight o'clock. 

But though past, the fight was not ended. The rebel gun- 
boats Morgan, Gaines, and Sdma, which had ke})t up such an 
annoying fire, were then attacked, and one of them was captured 
and another destroyed. Then followed a most terrible fight with 
the Tennessee, which at once made for the flagship Hartford; 
whereupon the monitors were immediately ordered to attack her. 
The Monongahela, Commander Strong, struck her first ; but re- 
ceived far more injury than she inflicted. The rebel monster 
then received heavy blows from the Lackawanna and the Hart- 



360 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

ford and the ManhaUan, but with little effect, except a fifteen- 
inch shot from the latter which broke through her iron plating. 
Determined upon her destruction, the iiZar^/orcZ fearlessly made 
at her again with full speed, and, M'ith the combined efforts of 
their united forces, she was now reduced to a desperate condition. 
With her steering chains gone and smoke-stack shot away, she 
was compelled to resort to her relieving tackles. And increasing 
their firing on and on, they waged i\\e furious fight until, seeing 
the Ossipee was about to strike her a tremendous blow, she raised 
the white flag and surrendered about ten o'clock. During this 
severe fight with the Tennessee and the rebel gunboats, the fleet 
lost more men than it did in passing Fort Morgan. Admiral 
Buchanan, commanding the Tennessee, was wounded in the leg, 
and two or three of his men were killed, and five or six wounded. 
Commodore Johnston, formerly of the United States Navy, came 
on board the flagship to surrender his and Admiral Buchanan's 
sword to the victorious Farragut. Thus ended one of the fiercest 
and most destructive naval engagements on record. Thus, too, 
for the first time in the history of the world, Avas a naval officer 
known to risk the danger of lashing himself to the rigging of his 
ship on entering an engagement. 

In this grand adventure it had been thought, as the ship 
channel was so very near to Fort Morgan, that it would be impos- 
sible for any ships to pass. But by the discerning Farragut this 
seeming insurmountable difficulty was very soon overcome, and 
even turned to an advantage to him and a disadvantage to them. 
Lashing his vessels together, two and two, he diminished the 
exposure, and secured the safety and integrity of the fleet. This 
v/as a most masterly contrivance. On the 7th of August, Forts 
Powel and Gaines surrendered, and, with another small skirmish, 
on the 23d Fort Morgan surrendered also. With the surrender 
of Forts Gaines and Morgan eighty-six guns and fifteen hundred 
men fell into the hands of the Union forces. 

In honor of his distinguished services in these splendid victo- 
ries. Commodore Farragut was, in July, 1863, promoted to the 
rank of rear-admiral, and in August of the following year he 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE AVAR. 361 

was raised to the rank of vice-ad miral, wliicli grade was created 
])y Congress especially for him. 

Being remarkably neat, clean, and temperate in his habits. Ad- 
miral Farragut enjoyed very good, vigorous health. He would 
not even so much as smoke a cigar. And the distinguished favors 
and tiie strong testimonials of high regard he has received, both 
at home and abroad, show in the most decided terms how highly 
his valuable services are appreciated by the people. Mourned by 
the nation, his full history would fill volumes. Enshrined in 
the heart, embalmed in the memory, for his heroic, noble deeds, 
he will live in the affections of the people forever. 

We clip the following from a New York paper of May 30, 
1871, which shows how fresh his memory still exists in the 
minds of the people : " Admiral Farragat's grave at Wood Lawn 
was decorated at sunrise this morning ; the ceremonies being per- 
formed by a battalion-of marines under Colonel Brooke, with a full 
band from the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the Farragut Lodge of 
Good Templars, and the Wadsworth Post of the Grand Army of 
the Republic, both of Brooklyn. General S. Catlin, of Williams- 
burg, delivered an eloquent address commemorative of the life 
and services of the deceased admiral, after which the grave was 
profusely covered with cut and growing flowers. Admiral M. 
Smith, commanding the Brooklyn Navy Yard, was also present 
at the ceremonies." A large portion of the crowd were ladies. 

FARRAGUT AT PRAYER. 

"Man's extremity is God's opportunity." Deeply impressed 
with a sense of want, and conscious of his own weakness, in times 
of great emergency, when all human aid seems to fail, it is natural 
for man to go to God for help. Sinking Peter, hanging upon the 
verge of a watery grave, cried, " Lord, save me ! " The ship- 
wrecked disciples, tossed upon the ocean's raging billows, feeling 
their awful danger and helplessness, fled to Jesus, and cried, 
" XorcZ, save, or we perish!" 

Farragut, in the depths of a great emergency, and feeling the 
salvation of his country hanging as it were upon his own success, 



362 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 

lashed to the rigging of his ball-riven and mast-shattered ship, 
with cannon-balls flying thick about him, and with his fleet halt- 
ing and sinking around him, when hesitating what to do, fled to 
God for help and direction, and cried, " O God, my Makci', lead 
me to do this day, what is right and best for my country! " * " In 
answer to this prayer, the admiral said' he heard a voice from 
heaven, which seemed to say, in tones of thunder, ' Go forward ! 
Go FORWARD ! ' " He went forward ; and for deeds of daring 
courage, high naval skill, and unyielding perseverance, achieved 
a victory, for grandeur and glory far exceeding anything ever 
accomplished in the world ! 

^yhen we come to speak more particularly of the great admi- 
ral's religious life, our data is more scanty. Absorbed with his 
grand naval achievements, our historian has failed fully to record 
his religious history. But the admiral has always sustained a 
good reputation as a faithful, consistent Christian. He belonged 
to the Protestant Episcopal Church ; and the Rev. Dr. Montgo- 
mery, who preached his funeral sermon, says another, " alluded, 
in very strong and feeling terms, to his wonderful character as a 
Christian hero." With his faith and religious emotions highly 
wrought up in contemplating the melting scenes of Calvary, Dr. 
Montgomery says " he always partook of the holy communion 
with great religious fervor." The purity of his life, his heroic 
devotion to his country, his great love of truth, and his unbounded 
kindness, together with his earnest prayer to God, in passing the 
belching batteries at Fort Morgan, speak much in favor of his 
Christian character. 

And says Lieutenant James E. Montgomery, the admiral's 
secretary, who was with him under all kinds of circumstances, 
for many years, and who was more intimately associated with 
him than any one else outside of his family : " I fail to recall 
one act that reflects upon him as an upright, exemplary Chris- 
tian ; and at the same time I bear full testimony to the truth of 
the Avell-won and justly deserved reputation he has left to the 
world. He was always truly religious, and he never forgot or 

* Related by Rev. Dr. Montgomery in preacbisg the admiral's funeral 
sermon. 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 363 

neglected his duties as a professing Christian." These, together 
with " his unbounded charity, tender - hearted disposition, and 
child-like simplicity, made him one of nature's noblemen, wlio 
was at once the hero of the sea and a model Christian patriot." 

Full of years and victories, crowned with unfading honor and 
glory, this noble-hearted hero left this world August 14, 1870. 
He died at the residence of Commodore Pennock, in the Navy 
Yard at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and was temporarily 
buried there August 17. His remains were removed to New 
York, and deposited with unparalleled honors in a beautiful 
mound in Woodlawn Cemetery, September 30, 1870. "Blessed 
are the dead who die in the Lord." 



864 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 



GEORGE H. STUART. 

Sketch of, by Dr. Wylie — His Birth — Parents — Education — Arrival in 
this Country — Religious Profession — Elected Ruling Elder — His 
Christian Zeal and Liberality — Missionary Spirit — A Sabbath-school 
Worker — Suggested the National Presbyterian Convention, and Pre- 
sided over it — His Suspension from the Church — Refused a Position 
in President Grant's Cabinet — A Successful Merchant — His Natural 
Talents — Christian Character — An Expert Presiding Officer — His 
Natural Eloquence — Attractive Speaker and Successful Beggar — He 
always Succeeds — Goes About Doing Good — His Marriage — Family 

— Personal Appearance — His Labors in the Christian Commission — 
Its Leading Spirit and President — His Qualifications and Devotion to 
the Work — Secret of His Success — Distributes Books — Overcomes 
an Infidel — The People's Faith in him — Money Flows in at his Ask- 
ing — His Importunity Prevails — His Zeal to Supply the Needy Sol- 
diers — His Kindness to the Rebels — Rebels Weep at Northern Kind- 
ness — His Fondness for Army Relics — " His Generalship in Prayer " 

— He can always have Prayer — " An Eminent Christian at Work " 

— His Christian Sagacity — His Popularity — An Eloquent Speaker — 
His Speech in England. 

rilHE wisdom, goodness, and power of God are strikingly mani- 
J- fested in amply providing for every emergency of His people. 
And His provisions are always according to the exigency of 
the case. " As thy days, so shall thy strength be." 

When the world was about to be deluged, God raised up a 
Noah to prepare an ark to the saving of his house and two of 
every living thing. When a great Reformation was to be brought 
about, God raised up a Luther to bring it to pass. When three 
millions of slaves were to be led out of Egyptian bondage, a 
Moses was raised up to do it. When the Church was made to 
pass through a fiery trial of fierce persecution, God raised up 
hosts of heroic martyrs to die at the stake to sustain it. When a 
new nation was to be born, God raised up a Washington and 
hosts of other heroes to establish it. When a great rebellion was 
to be quelled, God raised up a mighty army to quell it ; and when 
a great Christian Commission was necessary to sustain that army, 
God raised up a Stuart to manage it. "" Even for this same purpose 
have I raised thee up." 





f^: 



-C^L C<^\ 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 365 

The following extract is from the pen of the Rev. T. "W. J. 
"Wylie, D. D., of Philadelphia, Mr. Stuart's distinguished pastor 
and friend : 

"George Hay Stuart was born at Rosehall, County Down, 
Ireland, April 2, 1816. His parents were highly respected 
members of the Associate Presbyterian Church, under the pas- 
toral care of the late Rev. George Hay, whose name he bears. 
After receiving the usual elements of education, he immigrated 
to this country, to which several of his family had previously 
come; arriving in Philadelphia, September 1, 1831. Shortly 
afterward he became a regular attendant at the First Reformed 
Presbyterian Church, of which the late Rev. Dr. S. B. Wylie was 
then the pastor. In connection with this he made a profession 
of religion April 24th, 1835. On the 7th of August, 1842, he 
was ordained a ruling elder, an office which he still holds. Mr. S. 
enjoyed the highest regard of his pastor, who was able to dis- 
cern in his character even at an early age the germs of excellence 
which have been subsequently so fully developed. Mr. S. has 
always been one of the most active, liberal, and useful members 
of the congregation ; and to his munificent contributions, as well 
as his untiring personal labors, much of its prosperity has been 
owing. The hj^ndsome and commodious edifice occupied by the 
congregation, and which has historic fame as the place of meet- 
ing of the Presbyterian National Convention in 1867, was 
'erected principally by his exertions and received his generous 
aid. Mr. S. has been an early and warm supporter of the For- 
eign jMissionary cause, and for many years acted as treasurer of 
the Board of Foreign Missions of the Reformed Presbyterian 
Church. The Missionary Refuge at Landour, Northern India, was 
his gift to the Saharunpur Mission, to all of whose operations he 
has made large donations. He was also, for many years, treas- 
urer of the Theological Seminary of the Reformed Presbyterian 
Church, which received from him valuable aid. He was early 
interested in the Sabbath-school cause. Shortly after his arrival 
in this country he became connected, as a teacher, with the Sab- 
bath school of the First Reformed Presbyterian Church, Phila- 
delphia, and after a few years was elected its superintendent, an 



366 - CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

office which he filled for about twenty-five years with the greatest 
success, the number of teachers and pupils in the parent school, 
and two white and one colored mission schools connected with 
the congregation, amounting at one time to nearly a thousand. 

" Mr. Stuart's efforts to do good have not, however, been re- 
stricted to any one denomination. Wherever good was to be 
done, he has been ready to give all the aid in his power. 
The delegation of the Irish Presbyterian Church sent to this 
country during the years of famine in that land, owed to his 
counsel, co-operation, and contributions much of its success. 
The Rev. Dr. Duff visited America by his invitation, and the 
extensive tour he made, and the large amount of money he re- 
ceived for the College in Calcutta, was, in a great measure, the 
result of Mr. S.'s arrangements. Other deputations from the 
Presbyterian Churches of Ireland and Scotland were greatly 
indebted to him. The Presbyterian National Convention held 
in Philadelphia, November, 1867, which did so much to effect 
the reunion of the Old and New School Churches, was suggested 
by him, and he was called by acclamation to act as its president. 
He has been connected with Young Men's Christian Associations 
since their organization, and was President of the National Con- 
ventions held at Troy in 1859, and Chicago, 1863, He has been 
for many years an officer of the American Sunday-School Union, 
and of the American Bible and American Tract Societies, in each 
of whose operations he has taken an active part. 

" In 1868 he was susjyended by the General Synod of the Re- 
formed Presbyterian Church from his office as a ruling elder, and 
his membership in the church, on a charge of having sung hymns 
and communed with Christians of other evangelical denomina- 
tions, and declaring that he would continue to do so. This was 
done without any trial, and in his absence in consequence of 
severe sickness, during which his physician would not allow him 
to leave his room. This act of discipline was formally condemned 
and repudiated by about half of the Presbyteries of the Reformed 
Presbyterian Church, and led to a suspension of their relations 
to the Synod. Tlie large majority of the congregation with 
which he was connected, along with his pastor, refused to recog- 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 367 

nize it, and it has met with severe and almost universal condem- 
nation wherever it has been known. 

" The esteem and confidence felt for Mr. S. have led to his being 
called upon to discharge important public trusts. Pie has re- 
peatedly and urgently been invited by President Grant to occupy 
a place in his Cabinet, which he has declined on account of his 
precarious health. He has, however, been acting as one of the 
Indian Commissioners whose labors have done so much to protect 
our aborigines from wrong. He is also one of the members of 
the Board of Public Trusts of the city of Philadelphia, to which 
the charo-e of the humane and benevolent institutions under the 
care of the city has been committed. 

" As a merchant, Mr. Stuart occupies the foremost rank, not 
only in regard to enterprise and sagacity, but also for an integ- 
rity which has never been tarnished by a dishonest or dishonor- 
able action. During the war, while acting as President of the 
Christian Commission, his almost entire devotion to its opera- 
tions led to neglect of his own business, which occasioned pecu- 
niary losses ; but these are now becoming retrieved since he has 
again given his large establishment the care it requires. 

" Mr. Stuart's natural talents are of a superior order, and would 
have rendered him a distinguished man in any position, whether 
military, political, or ecclesiastical. Like the good king of Judah, 
' whatever he does, he does it with all his heart, and prospers.' 
It is, however, as an humble, earnest, generous, and laborious 
servant of Christ that his great eminence is manifested. He is 
emphatically a man of prayer. Few persons, there is reason to 
believe, are as attentive to the private duties of religion, and none 
can excel him in conducting public services. Those who hear 
him pray feel that his heart rises to God. He is very frequently 
called on to preside at public meetings, wliich he does witli une- 
qualled ability. He possesses great natural eloquence. His style 
is earnest, direct, and luminous. At times he moves to tears, 
and again he displays great power of humor. None can command 
better the attention of an audience, or obtain more liberal con- 
tributions to the cause which he advocates. We know not that 
he has ever failed in anything he has undertaken. 



Y 



368' CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

" While doing much in public, Mr. Stuart is remarkable for 
doing more in private. He is frequently at the bedside of the 
sick and dying ; and avails himself of every opportunity in the 
car, the steamer, the hotel, the counting-room, the workshop, the 
crowded street, or the lonely dwelling, to give words of counsel 
and comfort, and to lead the sinner to the Saviour. To him ' to 
live is Christ.' 

" Mr. Stuart has naturally a robust constitution, which his habits 
of strict temperance have kept unimpaired, although his labors 
have been so abundant. He has been, however, for many years 
a great sufferer from spasmodic asthma, which has frequently 
prevented him for weeks in succession from resting in bed. 
Even in the most severe paroxysms of pain, he has been enabled 
to endure all without a murmur. 

" Mr. Stuart was married. May 11th, 1837, to Miss Martha K. 
Denison, of Philadelphia. They have had nine children, four 
of whom have been called to the heavenly world, three dying in 
childhood, and one, William David, in his twenty-third year, a 
young man of remarkable talents, sanctified by an extraordinary 
measure of divine grace. Mr. Stuart's house has been the delight- 
ful resort of the great and good of all lands : few strangers of dis- 
tinction visiting this country have not lodged under his roof, or 
sat at his table ; while at the same time, multitudes unknown to 
fame have received his warm-hearted hospitality. 

" In person, Mr. Stuart is a man who would attract attention by 
the benignant expression of his features, along with the intel- 
ligence and animation which his countenance displays. He is 
nearly six feet in height, somewhat broad-shouldered, and stout, 
though with a stoop recently from the effect of sickness and 
excessive labor." 

The mercantile firm with which Mr. Stuart has been so long con- 
nected was first established at Philadelphia in 1827, and has con- 
sisted of the brothers, Messrs. John, Joseph, David, James, and 
George H. Stuart, — the last named being admitted in 1837. It 
has had establishments in New York, Manchester, and Liverpool, 
as well as in Philadelphia. The business has always been man- 
aged with great ability ; and during all the financial crises which 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 369 

have occurred, every shock has been sustained with a reputation 
for integrity, liberality, prudence, and success, which have never 
been surpassed. 

But it is of Mr. Stuart's arduous labors in the Christian Com- 
mission we wish now to speak more particularly. 

Aroused by the bombardment of Fort Sumter, and stung by 
the defeat of Bull liun, with the war-cloud rapidly thickening 
over the national horizon ; and convinced that the quelling of 
the rebellion was no small undertaking — moved by the warm 
impulses of compassion and sympathy for the soldier and patri- 
otic devotion — the United States Christian Commission sprang 
into existence as by magic. It rose from a spontaneous and heart- 
gushing liberality, and from a burning desire and a full deter- 
mination of tlie loyal people of the land to quell the rebellion 
and save the country. Its object was to aid in promoting the 
spiritual and temporal welfare of the officers, soldiers, and sailors 
of the army and navy of the United States. 

In this grand movement, the like of which was before un- 
known to the world, ]\Ir. Stuart was the great leading spirit from 
beginning to end. At its first meeting he was chosen chairman 
of the Commission, and so remained till its close.* Embracing 
men of all the leading evangelical denominations, and embodying 
a large amount of the best character and talent of the nation, 
inspired with the noble cause of liberty and self-government, it 
was at once capable of a glorious work. 

Liberal, enterprising, and with an energetic, buoyant hearty 
and possessing fine executive abilities and a lofty patriotism, 
Mr. Stuart was eminently qualified for the position of chairman ; 

* The following extract from the " First Annual Report of the Chri^- 
'. tian Commission" shows its origin : "At a convention of delegates from Young 
;, Men's Christian Associations, held in the city of New York, November 16, 
i 1801, the following persons were appointed as a Unrted States Christian Com- 
' mission : Rev. Rollin H. Neale, D.D., Boston ; George H. Stuart, Esq., Phila- 
delphia ; Charles Demond, Esq., Boston ; John P. Crozier, Esq., Philadelphia ; 
Rev. Bishop E. S. Janes, D.D., New York ; Rev. M. L. R. P. Thompson, D.D.. 
lUncinnati ; Hon. Benj. F. Manniere, New York ; Col. Clinton B. Fisk, St. 
l.ouis ; Pvev. Benj. C. Cutler, D.D., Brooklyn ; John V. Farwell, Esq., Chicago;, 
Mitchell H. Miller, Esq., Washington; John D. Hill, M.D., Buffalo." 
24 



■370 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAE. 

and enjoying the full confidence of the American people, with 
his excellent business qualifications, rich experience, and un- 
bounded popularity, he managed the aifairs of the Commission 
with marked ability, strict economy, and universal satisfaction. 
Aided by the hearty co-operation of a generous, patriotic people 
and efficient officers, and encouraged by the exigencies of the case 
and the glory of the cause, Mr. Stuart, under God, has made this 
noble institution a great blessing to the army and navy, to the 
Church, and to the world.* 

And he not only managed the Commission well, but with a 
heart longing for souls and glowing with compassion for the 
soldier, he made an excellent canvasser in the hospital and the 
camp. With a head well stored and a heart well fired with the 
doctrines of the Cross, he could sit down and talk Jesus to the 
sick, wounded, and dying soldier with great success. His great- 
heartedness, overflowing kindness, warm sympathies, abounding 
charity, and Christian enthusiasm, together with a soul lit up by the 
spirit of God, eminently fitted him for this great, soul-saving work. 

With these winning traits, painstaking labors, and earnest 
desires for the soldier's welfare, the noble-hearted philanthropist 
soon won their warmest attachment and love. 

Professor Stoever, of Gettysburg, Pa., in describing the battle 
of Gettysburg to Mr. Daniel Macrea, of Glasgow, said " that 
Mr. Stuart was there, and prayed with dying men upon the field. 
He was very much loved by the soldiers. One of our poor boys j 
at Gettysburg lifted his bleeding head, and said to Mr. Stuart, , 
' Will you let me kiss you before I die ? ' " With hearts over- 
flowing with gratitude for acts of kindness received, they would I 
frequently kiss the hand of the delegate or chaplain. 

But with all these eminent gifts and graces, the great secret 
of Mr. Stuart's success, under God, was mainly in his unyielding 
pers^erance. It lay in the principle that prompted his im- 
mortal words : t " I don't believe in being conquered ! " 

* A further account of the labors, expenses, and contributions of the Com- 
mission is contained in Chapter XXII. 

f Uttered in his speech in the House of Representatives, Washington, Feb- 
ruary 2, 1864. 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE 'WAR. 371 

" I NEVER GIVE UP anything that is i^radicahle ! " He 
was speaking about distributing books, and said, " I have 
visited many of the hospitals and some of the camps, and dis- 
tributed many of these religious books, and I can testify that, 
from the beginning until now, I have never met a man who 
refused my books, save only one, and he was from my own city 
(Philadelphia). He told me that he was an infidel, that he did 
not believe in my books, that he did not need them. Said he, 
' I am from Philadelphia ; I live at such a number, Callowhill 
Street ; if you will go there, you will find out my character, and 
that I am as good as you are.' ' I trust, a great deal better,' said 
I. But the case did seem a difficult one. ' Stuart,' said a friend, 
to whom I related the incident, ' you are beaten for once.' ' No,' 
I replied, ' I am not done with that man yet.' I approached him 
a short time afterward, and he said to me, ' What is the book 
you wanted to give to me ? ' 'It was a selection from the Scrip- 
tures, called Cromwell's Bible.' ' Oh,' said he, ' I don't want 
your Bible ; I 've no need of it ; I 'm a good enough man with- 
out it;' and, with a motion of supreme indifference, he turned his 
head. Said I, 'My friend, I'm from Philadelphia, too. I know 
where you live — can find the exact house. On next Sunday eve- 
ning, if God spares my life, I expect to speak for the Christian 
Commission in the Church of the Epiphany.' He looked at me 
with an inquisitive air. ' And what are you going to say ? ' 'I am 
going to tell the people that I had been distributing books and 
tracts all day through the hospitals and camps I had visited, and 
that I had found but one man who refused to take them, and he was 
from Philadelphia.' ' Well, what more are you going to say ? ' 
the man asked, with a steady gaze, apparently defying my at- 
tempts to move him. ' Well, I '11 tell them that I commenced 
my tract-distribution this morning at the White House in Wash- 
ington; and the first gentleman I offered one of these little 
books was one Abraham Lincoln ; that he rose from his chair, 
read the title, expressed great pleasure in receiving it, and pro- 
mised to read it. But that I came to one of his cooks, here 
in these quarters, and he was so exceedingly good that he did n't 
need a copy of the word of God, and would n't have one ! ' 



372 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAE. 

' Well/ said the man, completely conquered, ' if the President 
can take one, I suppose I can,' as he I'eached out his hand and 
received it ! " 

Here we see the glorious results of perseverance. Yes, it is 
"" the unconquerable tcill " and unswerving determination that 
leads to noble deeds and grand achievements. What, we ask, 
led to the great success of this gseat Commission, which began 
with sixteen members, had in its employ overlive thousand dele- 
' gates, and gave over six millions of dollars, and an infinite num- 
ber of books, pamphlets, tracts, and papers to the army and navy 
in four years ? It was the energy and perseverance of its liberal 
supporters, and the zeal of its noble- hearted chairman. His great 
liberality and burning zeal in this great work were manifested in 
his furnishing the Commission with office and store room ; in 
giving his own time and labors, and the services of clerks and 
porters, all free of charge. With his wliole soul and great heart 
absorbed and wrapped up in this glorious work, Mr. Stuail 
prayed and labored for it as though he felt that the salvation 
of the country depended upon his own individual efforts. 

And to save expense, through his and the combined influence 
of the other officers of the Commission, railroad and telegraph 
companies gave their services in transporting stores and delegates 
and in transmitting telegrams without cost. 

Commanding the respect and full confidence of the religious 
publishing societies of the country, the American Bible and the 
American Tract Societies, and other publishing societies, gave 
very liberally of their publications in books, periodicals, tracts, 
and papers, to supply the spiritual and intellectual wants of the 
men in the field. Led on by the wisdom, energy, and heroic de- 
votion of its efficient chairman, and having secured the confidence 
of the people and a strong hold upon their sympathies, prayers, 
and purses, and inspired by the grandeur and glory of the coun- 
try's salvation, the Commission met with a success unparalleled 
in the history of the world. 

The people gave money by the million, and they gave Bibles, 
books, papers, and tracts by tens of millions. 

The ra^jidity with which the people raised money for the Com- 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 373 

mission is seen from the words of Mr. Stuart to his Scotch friend, 
Mr. Maorea : " We relied," said he, " on the voluntary contribu- 
tions of the people — and how nobly they responded ! After the 
battle of Gettysburg, when tens of thousands of wounded and 
dying men were thrown upon our hands, I telegraphed in all 
directions. To Boston I telegraphed, ' Can I draw on you for 
ten thousand dollars at sight ? ' It was stuck up in the Exchange.' 
The merchants at once formed in line to put down their sub- 
scriptions. In half an hour the answer came : ' Draw for sixty 
thousand dollars.' And," said Mr. Stuart, " the little children 
helped us too. They made tens of thousands of little housewives' 
comfort-bags, as the soldiers called them, with buttons, needles 
and thread, comb, cake of soap, and, above all, a little tract or 
Testament, and sent them on through the Commission to the 
needy soldiers, and they did them a world of good." 

Thus armed and equipped, the Commission had nothing to do 
but to go forward, labor, and pray ; gather up delegates, and 
collect stores and distribute them as needed in the field. And it 
is wonderful to see with what great despatch stores and delegates 
were procured and sent on. They gathered them as by magic, 
and sent them free by lightning-trains. We give one example. 
It was a pressing case. A number of delegates and boxes of 
stores had just been sent to Murfreesborough on Saturday night; 
and on Monday morning, early, an urgent request reached the 
central office for another supply. Grasping the situation, with- 
out a moment's hesitation, Mr. Stuart decided to send them by 
the next train, if possible. They had only an hour and a half to 
get them ready. The delegates were ready waiting, but passes 
had to be procured for them, and an order for the free passage 
of the stores also. The time was short, and the depot was three- 
quarters of a mile away. At Mr. Stuart's request, a letter was 
despatched to the vice-president of the Pennsylvania Railroad 
for the passes, and half a dozen clerks were sent to buy the stores, 
and porters and draymen to gather them into the depot. At ten 
minutes before eleven the messenger sent to the vice-president 
ibr the passes returned, saying, " There are twenty men or more 
before the door, and the door is locked : it 's no use trvina: to see 



374 CHRISTIANITY IN THE AV'AR. 

liliu." The train \vill start in thirty-five minutes, and the stores 
are pouring into the dejiot. Deeply anxious to have them go, 
Mr. Stuart at once hurried to the office of the vice-president, 
and instead of pressing his way in front, he went round through 
a private way into a communicating office, and said to the gentle- 
man occupying it, " I must see Mr. Scott ; I have not a moment 
to spare; just open the door." The door was opened, Mr. Scott 
was seen, and, although overwhelmed with business, the passes 
were signed, and the order for the free transmission of the stores 
was given — and Mr. Stuart was back before the clock struck 
eleven ! And before the remaining twenty-five ininutes had ex- 
pired, the stores — twenty-five boxes, etc. — were piled into the 
cars, all numbered, marked, invoiced, and went free, with light- 
ning speed, with the delegates to Nashville ! 

And so intense was the desire and earnest the efforts to supply 
the needy soldiers, that the Commission, through the earnest im- 
j)ortunity of Mr. Stuart, sometimes prevailed upon long trains of 
cars to wait to take provisions to the suffering braves. ... It was 
for a Thanksgiving dinner for the soldiers at Bolivar's Heights, 
near Harper's Ferry, Va. Mrs. Dr. Harris wrote Mr. Stuart 
about the rough, scanty fare of the soldiers there — asking for 
something more than " dry bread, half-boiled beef, and a poor 
mixture called tea," for their Thanksgiving dinner. Owing to the 
great press of business at the office, Mrs. Harris's letter was not 
read until it was too late to get ready and forward what was 
necessary for the dinner. But, presuming that railroads would 
do extraordinary things under such extraordinary circumstances, 
the articles for the dinner were prepared with great despatch and 
hurried to the depot to go on the express train. The conductor 
agreed to take them, and they put them aboard as quick as pos- 
sible ; yet, with all their haste, they failed to get them in due 
time. But the compassionate conductor waited, and, with Mrs. 
Harris going along to push them through, they reached their 
destination in due time, and the poor soldiers had a splendid 
Thanksgiving dinner. Forewarned of an approaching battle, 
they always sent stores in advance. And, in order still more to 
expedite this business, they always kept on hand a quantity of 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. o<D 

stores packed ready for a battle at any time, marked " Stores for 
the next battle." And to render immediate living aid, they had 
a class of delegates they called " 7iiinute-7nen,^' ready to go at any 
time on five minutes' notice ; and, said Mr. Stuart, " If one of 
them was on the pulpit preaching when the telegram reached 
him, he must stop, and hurry off to the battle-field." 

It was very encouraging to the Commission to see how will- 
ingly the soldiers would assist them in anything they could do. 
Was an army church to be erected, they would turn out en masse 
and help put it up ! A regiment would cut the logs, gather them 
in, and put up a church in a few hours. In this way, the Com- 
mission erected fifty churches in one week. Sometimes they 
would begin and lay the foundation of a church in the morning, 
and have preaching in it at night. 

Founded upon the "Ilock of Ages," and deeply imbued with 
the loving spirit of its cheerful chairman, the Christian Com- 
mission was a GREAT COMFORTER. It administered comfort 
both to the soldier's soul and body. When it found a man suf- 
fering for suitable food, it fed the body first, and the soul after- 
ward. To the hungry it offered bread first, and then a Baxter's 
Call. To the thirsty it offered a cup of cold water before the 
cup of salvation. Relieving the outer man tends to give access 
to the inner. It brought the fresh sympathies of dear friends 
and the sweet pleasures of home close to the camp and the hos- 
pital. And, being so long destitute of these cheering attractions, 
nothing else seemed to do the soldiers so much good. Anything 
direct from home, (even but a flower,) that would cause the mystic 
cords of memory to vibrate from the dreary hospital, from the 
lonely camp, or from the bloody battle-field, to the hallowed 
scenes of home, and there to linger around the lovely forms of a 
dear sister, an affectionate mother, or a beloved wife, would cheer 
and revive the drooping spirits of the most forlorn soldier. 

We give an illustration in the language of a soldier : " I 
was seated in my tent on the banks of the Potomac, weary and 
worn, heartsick and homesick, when a letter was brought in by 
the postboy, and handed to me. It bore the impress of a sister's 
direction. I oj)ened it eagerly. A rosebud from a favorite 



376 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 

bush at home fell upon iny lap. It was a precious memento o*' 
home, and of a sister's love. I forgot the letter. I seized the 
rosebud, pressed it to my lips with a kiss, and sent up a prayer 
that God would bless my sister, my home, and all its dear ones 
who were brought so vividly before me. Ah ! had I been called 
at that moment to draw the sword or shoulder the musket and 
repair to the field of battle, I would have fought with tenfold 
valor for my country ; for my country is the home of my mother 
that I lave, and the sister who had not forgotten me." * Such is 
the wonderful power of sympathy. Oh, how important to cul- 
tivate and bestow it ! 

But, endowed with this lofty spirit, and engaged in the holy 
cause of God, liberty, and truth, the Christian Commission was 
not only a great comforter, but it was also a great li/e-preservcr and 
soul-saver. Under God, it preserved men's lives, and saved their 
souls. In speaking of the labors of the delegates among the sol- 
diers, Bishop Mcllvaine, of Ohio, said, in a mass meeting of the 
Commission in Philadelphia, " We rejoice that they are able to 
take stimulants to the faint, and food to the hungry. We think 
it exceedingly precious that they are able to minister to such 
necessities ; but oh, dear brethren, there is a joy unspeakable 
above such joys as that, that they are permitted to share. It is 
precious to hear one say, ' I should have died upon the battle- 
field but for the supplies that the Christian Commission brought 
me ! ' But oh, how unspeakably more precious is it to you and 
to me, brethren, to hear one saying, in addition to tliis, ' I should 
have perished in my sins, had it not been for the precious words 
which Christ spoke to me through tiie men whom the Christian 
Commission sent to me.' " 

Abounding in these noble deeds and lofty aims, the Christian 
Commission was food, clothing, and shelter to the destitute ; 
medicine, nurse, and physician to the sick and wounded; joy 
and hope to the dying; and strength and encouragement to the 
Government. Armed with the panoply of heaven, laboring in- 
cessantly by day and by night in dispensing the benign influences 

* Extract from Ex-Governor Pollock's address at tbe first annual meeting 
of the Christian Commission in Washinerton, D. C. 



CHRISTIANITY TX THE WAR. 377 

of the gospel, and receiving no pay but the soldier's hearty 
*' God bless you ! " and most successfully managed by the match- 
less George H. Stuart, it was the glory of the land and tlie 
brightest honor of the Ciiurch ! 

KINDNESS TO REBELS. 

The care, compassion, and labors of the Christian Commission 
were not confined to the men of our own army and navy. Chris- 
tianity is not selfish and sectional. It is not bounded by conti- 
nents, oceans, empires, and states ; it is not confined to army 
lines, camps, guards, and pickets. No ; Christ says, " Do good 
unto all men;" " if thine enemy hunger, feed him ; if he thirst, 
give him drink." Constrained by a Saviour's love, the earnest 
Christian's heart embraces and yearns for the salvation of a lost 
world. The cross of Christ, when heartily received, consumes 
and annihilates self. Self cannot live at the foot of the cross. 
There it dies; and there it lies buried. Moved by this Christ- 
like principle, the noble delegates of the Christian Commission 
administered to the wants of the soldiers and officers of the rebel 
army as well as our own. The writer has often done this, and 
received hearty thanks for it. In telling them of Jesus, we have 
often seen them weep profusely. They often sent for me to come 
and j)ray with them in the hospital. I have often preached to 
them in their wards; and when they died, we always read and 
prayed at their graves. They fared just the same in the hospital 
as the Union soldiers. 

When the writer, with a number of other officers who had just 
been released from Libby Prison, was being exchanged at City 
Point, Va,, we met a number of rebel prisoners just from John- 
son's Island; and, seeing them looking so well, one of our men 
asked them, " How did you fare way up North ? " " First-rate, 
first-rate!" was one's immediate reply; and he went on to tell 
what good things they had to eat. 

In speaking of his ministrations to Confederate wounded, who 
were brought to Martinsburg in the same wagons with our own 
men, Rev. T. B. Thayer- says, in Incidents of the U. S. Christian 
Commission: "As we have ministered to their wants and ad- 



378 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 

dressed words of kindness to them, tears have started from eyes 
unaccustomed to weeping. They fairly overwhehiied us with 
their thankful expressions. ' This is what I call living Chris- 
tianity/ one would say. ' This is the religion for me/ added an- 
other. ' I can't stand this/ said a rough, hard-looking fellow, 
badly wounded in the foot, but able to hobble along on crutches ; 
' I can't stand this, boys ; it overcomes me ; I give in,' with his 
whole frame shaking with emotion, and the big tears falling from 
his sun-burnt face — tears which he tried to conceal from his 
comrades and us. ' You know,' he continued, ' I am no coward ; 
I can face the eneiuy, and not wink; but this kindness kills me ; 
it breaks me all to pieces. I tell you, boys, this is no humbug ; 
it's a big thing; it's the gospel for body and soul — just what 
we all need.' And so he went on in the truest eloquence for 
some minutes, closing with the ever-recurring soldier's benedic- 
tion, * God bless you ! ' " 

In speaking of the rebels found on the battle-field, Mr. Stuart 
said, " If we found them dying, we took their last messages and 
wrote to their friends, just as if they had been our own soldiers. 
It was the same in the hospitals. The poor fellows would some- 
times burst into tears. One of them said, ' You fight us like 
devils, but you nurse us like angels' " 

Mr. Stuart's fondness for army relics and Christian Commis- 
sion memorials is seen in his statement to his friend from Glas- 
gow. " When you go to Gettysburg, you must see Round Toj), 
where the battle was fiercest, and where the dead lay five or six 
deep. Lee said to Barksdale, of Mississippi, ' That height must 
be taken if it cost you all your men.' Barksdale went, and buried 
himself and his whole force on that slope. This Testament 
(holding it in his hand) was found there among the dead." 

" He showed me," said Mr. Macrea, " another little Testament 
that had saved a soldier's life. ' It belonged to one of our boys,' 
said Mr. Stuart. ' He always carried it in his breast-pocket. In 
one battle a bullet struck him, and nearly knocked him down. 
It had struck on the Testament, and pierced it to the back board ; 
there, as you see, it stopped, and his life was saved. There are 
scores like this scattered up and down the country. Some wives 



CHRISTIAXITY IN THE WAR. 379 

have tliein with the blood-stains on the leaves. I saw one where 
the ball had stopped at a verse that struck the man, and which 
proved the means of his conversion. He was killed afterward, 
l)ut his wife preserved the Testament. I said to her, ' I would 
like to own that Testament — what will you take for it ? ' ' Oh, 
Mr. Stuart,' she said, ' there is n't gold enough in the country to 
buy it from me.' " 

HIS GENERALSHIP IN PRAYER. 

In speaking of the Christian Commission practice of connect- 
ing religion with all their operations, Mr. Stuart said to Mr. 
Macrea, '* / oiever was in a place where I could n't have ji^'ay^t'- 
When dissolving the Commission, we went round (more than 
one hundred of us) and called on Johnson, Stanton, Grant, and 
all the heads of Departments, and had prayer with them all. 
AVhen we went to the White House, some of them said, ' E-e- 
member, Johnson is a diiferent man from Lincoln.' I said, ' I 
know it.' However, before we left, I said to the President, ' Mr. 
Johnson, you have been called to the head of the nation at a very 
critical time.' 'Yes, yes,' he said. 'After a man who was the 
idol of the people.' 'Yes.' 'No man has been raised to a posi- 
tion where he stands more in need of divine help.' ' It is true.' 

' Dr. will perhaps ask the divine blessing and guidance 

for you before we go.' The President made no objection, and we 
all knelt in prayer. 

" But when Me went to Culpepper to see Botts, Dr. Kirk and 
the rest of them said there was no hope there. Botts was a 
prominent statesman. He had opposed the Democrats of the 
South, but he had no sympathy with the movements on behalf 
of the negro. We knew that ; and he had the reputation of being 
an infidel. I thought it all the more necessary that we should, 
if possible, have prayer. He received us very kindly. When 
we were preparing to leave, I said,' You have seen a good deal of 
fighting here, Mr. Botts?' ' Fighting !' said he ; 'I have seen 
fifteen battles from that window.' ' You have run many risks ? ' 
' You may well say that,' he replied. ' Now, gentlemen,' I said, 
turning to the others, ' Mr. Botts has sacrificed a great deal for 



380 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

the country ; he has suffered a great deal ; he may have much to 
suffer still — we cannot tell. Now, I think, before going, Dr. 
Kirk might lead us in thanking God for having preserved Mr. 
Botts through so much, and praying that Mr. Botts may be long 
spared to serve his country, and see it restored to prosperity and 
peace.' Botts, who had been throwing in prompt words of assent 
to everything that went before, looked queer at this. We all 
began to go down upon our knees. Botts looked about with a 
ludicrous expression of perplexity on his face ; but, seeing us all 
kneeling, he seemed to feel there was no escape, and slipped re- 
luctantly down upon his knees. When we came out. Dr. Kirk 
said, ' I never prayed in such strange circumstances before.' 
' Well,' said I, 'you never prayed more*powerfully.' Neitlier he 
had. Some of them said that Botts was in tears ^vhen he rose." * 
What an invaluable lecture on pastoral theology ! For practical 
utility it is worth more than whole volumes of ordinary lectures. 
Like Paul, Mr. Stuart seems to know perfectly "how to be all 
things to all men." To make such a man as Mr. Botts " feel 
that there was no escape," but to kneel in prayer, denotes won- 
derful ingenuity ! 

If we should attempt to describe Mr. Stuart as a Christian, it 
would be hard to find wOrds sufficiently expressive. The Rev. 
T. W. J. Wylie, D. D., speaks of him as " that most eminent 
servant of God ! " We do not wish to exaggerate, but when we 
look at his great liberality, self-denying labors, and his eminent 
success in managing the Christian Commission, and his heroic 
devotion to his country, and to his Master's cause, as exhibited 
therein, as a Christian philanthropist, and as "a Christian at 
ioork," he is one of the most eminent in the world. His Chris- 
tian sagacity exhibited in his generalship in prayer was most 
masterly. We do not believe there is another man in the world 
that could have succeeded as well. By the winning force of his 
powerful prestige, genius, and tact, together with his melting 
kindness, he brought every man to his knees — a place where 
some of them, perhaps had never been before. Such sagacious 
generalship is exceedingly rare. You may search the records of 

* Mf. Macrea's Interview with Mr. Stuart. 



I 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 381 

all Christendom, and explore the history of the Avorld, and no- 
where, we believe, since the fall of man, will you find sucli 
shrewd strategy. Corresponding with his unbounded zeal and 
popularity, the Rev. Dr. E. R. Beadle, of Philadelphia, delegate 
from the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of the 
United States to the late General Assembly of Ireland, in speak- 
ing to the latter of the distinguished Irishmen in America, after 
having mentioned the names of the distinguished Dr. McCosh, 
of Princeton, and Dr. Plall, of New York, said, " There is an- 
other humble man, namely, George H. Stuart, a man who has 
made the whole continent love him." 

Bishop Simpson, in his farewell remarks to the Christian Com- 
mission, said, " Early in the history of this Commission, when 
our work had not yet been fully developed, I remember to have 
spoken of our great leader — our worthy president, Mr. Stuart — 
as our major-general. But, sir, his works merit promotion, and I 
nominate him no\v as Lieutenant-General of the Christian Com- 
mission ! He shall never wear the stars upon his shoulders ; but 
above and behind yon clouds, which hide the Invisible from view, 
there are crowns, and there are stars which shall shine in his 
crown of rejoicing forever ! " 

As a speaker, Mr. Stuart is ready, tender, touching, eloquent, 
and impressive. With a quick discernment, he always grasps the 
situation, and makes his speeches very appropriate, eloquent, and 
powerful. Standing before the annual meeting of the British 
and Foreign Bible Society, says the "American Messenger," " he 
thrilled the iuimense audience by evidences of the divine bless- 
ing on the Bible in our late civil war, and closed by saying : 

" 'England and America speak the same language, they worship 
the same God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, they are the two 
great Protestant nations of the earth, and woe to the hand that 
ever causes blood to flow between them. England and America — 
there may have occasionally risen up differences of opinion be- 
tween them ; but I say here, what I wrote a short time since to 
a member of the Washington Cal)inet. I said to him, " Sir, I 
believe, all through this terrible conflict, there are no two agencies 
which God has so much blessed in tiie preserving of peace be- 



382 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. i 

tween the two countries as the British and Foreign Bible Society ■ 
and the American Bible Society." I say, God bless the British 
and Foreign Bible Society ! God bless its honored president ! 
may he be long spared to carry on his work of usefulness. God 
bless the American Bible Society ! God bless its honored j^resi- 
dent ! God bless the Queen of England ! long may she reign 
over a prosperous and a free country. God bless the President 
of the United States ! I long for the coming of that day when 
all wars shall cease, and when Jesus Christ shall reign over all 
lands.' 

" The President of the British and Foreign Bible Society here 
rose, and, amid the general applause of the meeting, said that 
with his whole heart he reiterated the prayer of the last speaker, 
God bless the President of America ! God bless the Queen of 
England ! And may peace ever reign between the two coun- 
tries." This was in 1866. 




^^c^ ^aAiSe^a-/i^ 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 383 



HENRY WARD BEECHER. 

His Distinguishing Traits — A Great Worker — His Style — Oratory — 
His Birth — Lost his Motlier — Early Religious Impressions — Inured 
to Hardship — A Bashful, Stammering, Unpromising Boy — His Edu- 
cation — Went to School Barefooted, and Hemmed Towels at Recess — 
Fond of Flowers, and Full of Jokes — Drilled in Elocution — Tired of 
School — Wishes to "Go to Sea" — ^"Subject of a Revival — Unites 
with the Church — Naval Project Given up — Attention Turned to the 
Ministry — Enters College — Choice of Studies — Preferring Rhetoric, 
Studies to Know "What to Say," and "How to Say it" — Strictly 
Temperate — Conducts Prayer Meetings — His Creed — Religious 
Impressions — Troubled — Relieved — Buoyant — Teaches School — 
Lectures and Preaches — The Slave's Friend — Graduates — Studies 
Theology — Perplexed about Entering the Ministry — Marries — First 
Pastoral Charge — Did Everything Himself — Moves to Indianapolis — 
Style of Preaching — His Popularity — Revival in his Church — Moves 
to Brooklyn — Visits England and Europe — Lectures in England, and, 
Braving all Opposition, Pleads America's Cause Successfully — His 
London Letter glowing with Joy and Gratitude to God, and Love to 
his Enemies — Impression Favorable — Affectionate Enthusiasm for 
him — His War Sermons — Oration at Fort Sumter. 

THE prescribed limits of our book will not admit of a lengthy 
sketch of this renowned genius. Distinguished for tact, fore- 
sight, independence, intrepidity, patriotism, and great versatility 
of talent, he does not need it. Constitutionally buoyant, and 
naturally disposed to look at the bright side of things, he is 
always lively and cheerful ; self-reliant, pertinacious, and cour- 
ageous, he cannot be swamped nor easily cried down ; peculiar 
and progressive in his views, he is often far ahead of the rest of 
mankind, and consequently liable sometimes to get a little off the 
track. liaborious and energetic, he travels and lectures, preaches 
regularly, writes books, and edits one of the ablest papers in the 
country. With a style combining grandeur, energy, simplicity, 
beauty, and strength, he is one of tlie most popular writers of 
the day. Being well posted with a thorough' knowledge of 
human nature, always graspng the situation, and possessing fine 
j)Owers of illustration, he is one of the most complete orators of 
the asce. 



384 CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 

And exhibiting so much genius and talent, it will be interest- 
ing and profitable to trace him to his early history and origin. ; 
A New-Englander by birth, Henry Ward Beecher was born in 
Litchfield, Conn., June 24, 1813. He is the son of Roxana and 
Rev. Dr. Lyman Beecher, so distinguished for his piety, theo- 
logical attainments, and pulpit power. Inheriting from his 
})arents a perfectly sound and healthy organization of both body 
and mind, and having lost his mother when he was only three 
years old, he was brought up with little caressing, and in a way 
that was calculated to develop both his physical and intellectual 
powers. Having fallen into the hands of a pious, refined, and 
highly intellectual step-mother, he was highly favored witn a 
kind, religious, motherly training. It was her custom every 
Sunday night to take Henry A\ ard (the eighth child of the 
family) and two other little ones into her bedroom, and read, 
talk to, and pray with them. Inured to the long winters, severe 
storms, and bleak mountains of Connecticut, lie was brought up 
to industry, and knew what it was to endure hardness when a 
boy. During a New-England winter drought, when but nine 
years old, he harnessed and hitched up the horse to the sled, went 
alone three miles over an icy, hilly road to a distant spring, 
dipped up and brought a barrel of water for the family — and 
" thought nothing of it." The only thing that grieved him 
about it was, his step-mother comjielled him to wear his overcoat. 
He put it on, however; but not without "tears of mortification 
freezing on his cheeks as he went for the water, because he had 
firmly determined in his own mind to go a whole winter without 
wearing an overcoat." Although bashful and quite dull when a 
])oy at school, yet the stammei-ing lad, being ambitious, was very 
sensitive as to praise and blame. Xobody ever expected any- 
thing brilliant of him ; and with a very poor, indistinct utter- 
ance, no one ever thought of his making an orator. Said his 
kind aunt, " When Henry is sent to me with a message, I always 
have to make him say it over three times ; the first time I have 
no manner of an idea, more than if he spoke Choctaw ; the second, 
I catch now and then a word ; by the third time I begin to un- 
derstand." And while his elder brother was sharing in the first 



C H R I S T I A ^• I T Y IN THE "WAR. 385 

lioiiors of his class at college, and his elder sisters anuising them- 
selves ill writing poetry aiad enjoying the pleasure of Litchfield 
society, this impromising boy went to school barefooted in a little 
old school-house^ and (says his sister Harriet) " with a brown 
towel, or a blue checked apron, to hem during the intervals 
between his spelling and reading lessons." And yet, with all 
his apparent stupidity, Henry was not destitute of serious 
thought. When once driving his step-mother on an errand, in 
an old chaise, the town-bell tolled for the death of one of the 
inhabitants ; whereupon she said to the thoughtful boy, "Henry, 
what do you think of, when you hear a bell tolling like that?" 
Surprised at so grave a question, he replied, " I think, Was that 
soul prepared ? It has gone into eternitij ! " With a poor mem- 
ory, he disliked to study and commit the catechism, although 
he was sure of being seriously talked to by Mrs. Beecher if he 
iailed to recite his questions well. Thus at ten years of age he 
M^as a stout, well-grown, obedient boy ; and although backward in 
learning, he was very fond of natural scenery, buds, and flowers, 
and full of jokes and fun. 

At twelve, his father moved to Boston, and, shortly after, 
Henry Ward was sent to the Boston liatiii school, where, urged 
by a sense of self-respect and regard to his father's entreaties, he 
set out to study in earnest, and completely mastered the Latin 
Grammar the first year. But hard study seemed to injure his 
health, and having become somewhat gloomy and dissatisfied at 
school, his father thought it best to divert his attention a little 
from his studies, and suggested a course of biographical reading. 
Delighted with this, after having read a few naval histories, and 
the accounts of noted voyages, great commanders and sailors, he 
made up his mind to leave Boston, and " go to sea." Having 
heard of this project, his father made use of it as an argument to 
induce Henry to go to school, and study mathematics as a pre- 
paration for his newly devised scheme. Although he had no 
taste for mathematics, yet being enthusiastic for tlie sea, he went 
to Amherst, and studied algebra, geometry, etc., with a good 
degree of success. Here, too, he was thoroughly drilled in the 
25 



1 

386 CHRISTIAXITY IX THE WAR. 

principles of elocution by Professor J. E. Lovell, to which Mr. 
Beecher attributes very much of his success as a speaker. 

While at Amherst, a powerful revival of religion broke out 
in the school, and Henry, having enjoyed a good religious train- 
ing, was very deeply impressed. Upon hearing of this, his father 
wrote for him to come home, to unite with the church at an ap- 
proaching communion, at which the anxious boy, with a trem- 
bling heart, stood up and took upon him the solemn vows of the 
Church, and, for the first time, obeyed the solemn injunction, 
" Do this in remembrance of me." 

From this time on, his plans and purposes of life were changed 
— his naval project was abandoned, and his attention was turned 
to the pulpit. 

Having spent three years at Amherst, he was well prepared to 
enter the sophomore class at college ; yet being deeply convinced 
of the importance of thoroughness, his kind father, in order to 
give him ample time for general reading, wisely advised him to 
enter as a freshman. Finding but little attraction in Greek and 
Latin, or mathematics, though quite thorough in all of them, he 
turned his attention more particularly to oratory and rhetoric, 
and made it his chief business to learn " ichat to say,'' and "how 
to say it." To form and improve his style, he took a regular 
course in the English classics, and read with great avidity such 
authors as Milton, Bacon, Shakspeare, Robert Hall, etc. 

Strictly temperate and regular in his habits, the new convert 
was regularly at the class prayer-meetings, and took part in the 
exercises. Fortunately for his early religious development while 
at college, he became intimately acquainted with a pious, laborious 
student, who took him around with him to attend the prayer 
meetings in the outskirts of the village. And after hearing 
Henry read and pray a few times, the exhorter left one of the 
prayer-meetings in his care, while he went away and looked uj) 
another. With this little foretaste as a Christian worker, Plenry 
went on in the good work, and, aided by others, kept up the 
prayer meetings all through his college course. This was his 
beginning as a speaker. 

During his sophomore year, Mr. Beecher's attention was in- 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 387 

cidently directed to the subject of phrenology ; and being un- 
settled in his views as to the truth of this science, after hearing 
a few lectures on it, he commenced and read with great avidity 
everything he could get having a bearing on the subject. He 
and his associates immediately formed a society for physiological 
investigation. They bought books, charts, dissecting instru- 
ments, and set out in good earnest to know the truth. He was 
so enthusiastic in this matter, that he bought several books for 
his own individual use. He not only read the works of Drs. 
Gall, Combe, and Spurzheim, but also a number of old English 
authors, besides the renowned works of Locke, Reid, Stuart, etc. 
The taste formed by Mr. Beecher in this physiological and 
phrenological research, taken in connection with his studies in 
theology and metaphysics, has had much to do in laying the 
foundation of his theory and views through life. From that time 
forward he has pursued this branch of study with deep interest. 
And, says Mrs. Stowe, to whom we are indebted for many facts 
in this sketch, " The depth of Mr. Beecher's religious nature pre- 
vented this enthusiasm for material science from degenerating 
into dry materialism. He was a Calvinist in the earnestness of 
his intense need of the highest and deepest in religion. In his 
sophomore year there was a revival of religion in college, in 
which his mind was powerfully excited. He reviewed the almost 
childish experiences under which he had joined the church, as 
possibly deceptive, and tried and disciplined himself by those 
profound tests with which the Edwardarian theology had filled the 
minds of New England. A blank despair was the result. He 
applied to Dr. Humphrey, who simply told him that his present 
feelings were a work of the Spirit, and with which he dared not 
interfere. After days of almost hopeless prayer, there came sud- 
denly into his mind an ineifable and overpowering perception of 
the divine love, which seemed to him like a revelation. It dis- 
pelled all doubts and fears ; he became buoyant and triumphant, 
and that buoyancy has been marked in his religious teachings 
ever since." 

To raise money to piu'chase a library of much-desired books, 
Mr. Beecher, during his last two years at college, taught country 



388 CHRISTIAXTTY IX THE WAR. 

schools during the long winter vacations ; and then, as now, he 
was a great worker. While laboring to develop the intellectual 
j)owers of his scholars, he was not indifferent to that which is 
more important, the cultivation of the heart. Besides delivering 
an occasional lecture on temperance, he made his appointments, 
and went regularly, and exhorted and preached to the people. 
With a broad, sympathetic nature, Mr. Beecher was kind to the 
poor, and a warm friend to the slave ; and, possessing an heroic 
spirit, he was not afraid, in the early anti-slavery move, to be 
called an Abolitionist. 

Graduating in 1834, he went to Cincinnati, Ohio, and soon 
after commenced the study of theology in Lane Seminary ; and 
having nearly completed the course, as the time of his licensure 
a[)proached, he was thrown into a deep feeling of melancholy, 
and was at times so much distressed and perplexed about entering 
upon the duties of the sacred office that he seriously thought of 
al)andoning the profession. But during his last seixuuary year 
he took a Bible class in Cincinnati, and while studying the 
evangelists, in preparing his lessons for the class, he found so 
njuch to think and preach about, his difficulties were all re- 
moved. 

Having finished his theological course, Mr. Beecher got mar- 
ried, and immediately took charge of a small congregation in 
Lawrenceburg, on the west bank of the Ohio River, near Cincin- 
nati. In one of his speeches, in England, he gave the following- 
account of his commencing there: "I began my ministry in a 
church in the wilderness ; there were nineteen women and one 
man, and I wished him out more times than one; they were 
t!ie saints, and he the sinner. I was at that time sexton and 
general undertaker for the church ; I swept it ; I bought the 
lamps, and lit them ; I would have rung the bell, but there was 
none. I did the preaching, was superintendent of the Sabbath 
school, and did everything else there was to do; and though 
many years have passed, and I have seen other scenes, I have 
never had happier days since." After laboring a short time at 
Lawrenceburg, he accepted a call and moved to Indianapolis, 
Ind., where he labored with great success, devoting three months 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 389 

of each year to missionary work, in travelling about from place 
to place, on horseback, preaching once every day. In studying 
theology, he paid special attention to the Bible and to human 
nature — a knowledge of both he held to be necessary to under- 
stand either ; and, in sermonizing, he studied closely the style 
and principles of the sermons of the apostles, and endeavored 
to imitate them. Full of wit and humor, and possessing fine 
social qualities and a great tact for close observation, he possessed 
an ability to analyze man's wants and a genius to know how to 
meet them, rarely attained by one so young. Unique and attrac- 
tive in his style of preaching, and drawing largely, both for matter 
and illustrations, from unexplored fields, his popularity spread 
abroad, and the people flocked to hear him wherever he went. 

During a powerful revival that took place in his congregation 
in Indianapolis, in 1842, a member of that church says, "The 
whole town was pervaded by the influences of religion, and 
nearly one hundred persons were added to the church." And 
Mr. Beecher was seen " plunging through the wet streets, with 
his trowsers stuffed in his muddy boots, earnest, untiring, swift, 
with a merry heart, a glowing face, and a helpful word for every 
one ; the whole day preaching Christ to the people, wherever he 
could find them." 

During a pastorate of eight years in Indianapolis, the church 
was very much strengthened financially, and increased from 
thirty-two to two hundred and seventy-five members ; and al- 
though there existed a very strong mutual attachment between 
pastor and people, yet, having received a call to a much wider 
sphere of usefulness from the Plymouth Congregational Church, 
Brooklyn, New York, he accepted it, and moved thither in the 
summer of 1847, where he has labored with very great success 
ever since. His church now numbers over two thousand mem- 
bers, and pays him a salary of twenty thousand dollars. In this 
move, Mr. Beecher changed his ecclesiastical connection from the 
Presbyterian to the Congregational Church. 

Mr. Beecher's fine colloquial powers, his broad, impartial 
sympathy and kindness, and his thorough knowledge of human 
nature gave him access to the hearts of all classes ; he had warm 



390 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

friends in every grade of society. When living in Indianapolis, 
lie commanded the respect even of the drnnkard and tlu- 
gambler ; and when he left there, some of this class gave him 
the strongest "demonstrations of respect and attachment. Some 
of those whom he had tried to reclaim, seemed to have gone 
beyond redemption; and one of them, when Mr. Beecher was 
about to leave the city, said, " Before anything or anybody on 
earth, I do love Beecher ; I know he would have saved me, if 
he could." 

During the heated anti-slavery discussions, Mr. Beecher al- 
ways took decided grounds in favor of emancipation ; and when 
the rebellion arose, he heartily went in for putting it down at all 
hazards. Encouraged by their pastor, his congregation raised and 
equipped one regiment of volunteers (the First Long Island), and 
many of the young men of the congregation joined it. Deeply 
interested in their welfare, Mr. Beecher often went out and 
preached to them while in camp before they started for the field. 
Mr. Beecher labored very hard during the war; and, having 
much to say to the public in connection therewith, he assumed 
the editorial chair of the Independent early in the conflict. Bur- 
dened with the war and the cares of his country, together with 
his incessant labors in writing, speaking, and editing, his health 
and voice began to fail, and he sought relaxation in a trip to 
Europe. Here he was met by friends, before he stepped off the 
steamer, urging him to consent to lecture ; but he positively de- 
clined. Having spent a few days in England, and some two 
weeks in Wales, he visited Switzerland, Germany, and Northern 
Italy. At Paris he was much encouraged in receiving the news 
of the battle of Gettysburg, and the fall of Vicksburg, and found 
in those great victories the only kind of logic and argument that 
would ~ successfully carry the cause of America through Great 
Britain and Europe. 

On returning to England, he was again invited to speak, and 
again declined ; but upon the repeated solicitation of such men as 
Newman Hall, Baptist Noel, and Francis Newman, constrained 
by a sense of duty to his country, and our friends over there, he 
at last consented, and arrangements were ma^e for him to lecture 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR, 391 

ill the pmicipal cities of the Kingdom. And now, realizing his 
great responsibility, and conscious of the difficult task he had 
undertaken, to plead the cause of his country in a foreign laud, 
he set about preparing for the arduous work. Thus armed and 
equipped in the great cause of American nationality and American 
liberty, he delivered his first speech in the Free Trade Hall, in 
Manchester, October 9, 1863, to a tumultuous crowd of some six 
or seven thousand. Taking for his subject the merits of the 
American cause and the rights of the laboring man, he went on to 
show that the Southern Confederacy was founded upon the false 
principle that a strong and superior race has a right to oppress a 
weak and inferior one. And although Southern sympathizers 
did rail, and rant, and make great efforts to cry him down, and 
prevent his speaking ; yet, with a buoyant heart and a resolute 
will, he went on in spite of all opposition, and completed his 
speech ; and the London Times did him the honor of publishing 
it the next day. Thus ended his first effort. 

On the 13th of October he spoke again in the City Hall of 
Glasgow, and discussed the comparative advantages of free over 
slave labor. The next day he spoke to a very large meeting in 
the Free Church Assembly Hall in Edinburgh, and gave them 
an historic outline of the American conflict. But the severest 
struggle and the most disorderly audieirce was at Liverpool. 
This place being more pro-slavery, the opposition was found to 
be more formidable ; yet, with undaunted spirit and unyielding 
pertinacity, Mr. Beeclier braved the storm and delivered his mes- 
sage. In describing the difficulty in speaking to these turbulent 
assemblies, Mr. Beeclier says, " I had to outscream a mob, and 
drown the roar of a multitude. It was like driving a team of 
runaway horses, and making love to a lady at the same time." 

The following letter breathes so much of the spirit of Chris- 
tianity in the war, it will doubtless be read with deep interest : 

"London, Sunday, October 18, 1863. 

" My Dear Friend — You know why I have not written 
you from England. I have been so full of work that I could 
not. God has been with me, and prospered me. I have had 
health, and strength, and courage, and, what is of unspeakably 



392 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

more importance, I have had the sweetest experience of love to 
God and to man, of all my life. I have been enabled to love our 
enemies. . . . God awakened in ray breast a desire to be a full and 
true Christian toward England the moment I put mv foot on 
her shores, and he has answered the prayers which he inspired. 
I have been buoyant and happy. The streets of Manchester and 
Liverpool have been filled with placards in black and white let- 
ters, full of all lies and bitterness ; but they have seemed to me onlv 
the tracery of dreams. For hours I have striven to speak amid 
interruptions of every kind — yellings, hootings, catcalls, derisive 
yells, impertinent and insulting questions, and every conceivable 
annoyance — some personal violence. But God has kept me in 
perfect peace. I stood in Liverpool and looked on the demoniac 
scene, almost without a thought that it was me that was present. 
. . . You know, dear friend, how, when were are lifted up by the 
inspiration of a great subject, and by the almost visible presence 
and vivid sympathy with Christ, the mind forgets the sediment 
and dregs of trouble, and sails serenely in an upper realm of 
peace, as untouched by the noise below, as a bird that flies across 
a battle-field. Just so I had, at Liverpool and Glasgow, as sweet 
an inward peace as ever I had in the loving meetings of dear old 
Plymouth Church. And again and again, when the uproar raged, 
and I could not speak, my heart seemed to be taking of the in- 
finite fulness of the Saviour's pity, and breathing it out upon 
those poor, troubled men. I felt that I was his dear child, and 
tliat his arms were about me continually, and at times that peace 
that passeth all understanding has descended upon me, that I 
could not keep tears of gratitude from falling for so much tender 
goodness of my God. For, what are outward prosperities com- 
pared with those interior intimacies of God? It is not the path 
to the temple, but the intA'ior of the temple, that shows the good- 
ness and glory of God. And I have been able to commit all to 
Him, myself, my family, my friends, and in a special manner the 
cause of my country. Oh, my friend, I have felt an inexpressible 
wonder that God should give it to me to do something for the 
dear land ; when sometimes tlie idea of being clothed with power 
to stand up in this great kingdom against an inconvinceable vio- 
lence of prejudice and mistake, and clear the name of my dis- 
honored country, and let her brow shine forth, crowned with 
liberty, glowing with love to man — oh, I have seemed unable to 
live, almost ! It almost took my breath away. 

" I have not in a single instance gone to the speaking halls 
without all the way breathing to God unutterable desires for 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 393 

inspiration, guidance, success ; and I have had no disturbance 
of -personality. I have been willing, yea, Avith eagerness, to be 
myself contemptible in men's sight, if only my disgrace might be 
to the honor of that cause which is intrusted to our own thrice 
dear country. I have asked nothing of God but this, and this 
with uninterrupted heart-How of yearning request : ' Make me 
worthy to speak for God and man.' I never felt my ignorance 
so painfully, nor the great want of moral purity and nobility of 
soul, as when approaching my tasks of defending liberty in this 
her hour of trial. I have an ideal of what a man should be that 
labors for such a cause, that constantly rebukes my real condition 
and makes me feel how little I am. Yet that is hardly painful. 
There passes before me a view of God's glory, so pure, so serene, 
uplifted, filling the ages, and m'ore and more to be revealed, that 
I almost wish to lose my identity, to be like a drop of dew that 
falls into the sea, and becomes a part of the sublime whole that 
glows under every line of latitude, and sounds on every shore ! 
'■That God may be all in all!' that is not a prayer only, but a 
personal experience. And in all this time I have not had 
one unkind feeling toward a single human being ; even those, 
who are opposers, I have pitied with undying compassion ; and 
enemies around me have seemed harmless and objecis of charity 
rather than potent foes to be destroyed. God be thanked, who 

giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ 

" I am, as ever, yours, H. W. Beecher." 

Mr. Beecher spoke again, October 20, in Exeter Hall, London, 
and, in describing the meeting, he said : " It was a very fit close 
to a series of meetings that have produced a great sensation in 
England. The enthusiasm was almost wild and fanatical. I was 
like to have been killed with people pressing to shake ray hand." 
The press was so great, and " the affectionate enthusiasm " so 
strong, that the police came to his rescue, and conveyed him into 
the retiring-room, where many gentlemen brought their wives, 
sons, and daughters for a " God bless you ! " from the distin- 
guished orator and patriot. 

These meetings made a very favorable impression upon Eng- 
land and Scotland in favor of the American cause, and, no 
doubt, did much to prevent their interfering in behalf of the 
Southern Confederacy. Mr. Scott, (the Chamberlain of London,) 
the president of the meeting in Exeter Hall, said that a few 



'394 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAE. 

more such meetings *' in some other parts of England, and 
the question woukl be settled." In the successful delivery of 
these powerful, impressive speeches amid such strong, combined 
opposition, we see in a most striking manner the lofty patriotism, 
the great energy, and indomitable perseverance of Mr. Beecher. 
In speaking of it, he says, " I thought I had been through fur- 
naces before, but this ordeal surpassed all others. I was quite 
alone in England ; I had no one to consult with ; I felt the 
burden of having to stand for my country in a half-hostile land ; 
and yet I never flinched for a moment or lost heart." 

Although Mr. Beecher did not go to the front, and labor and 
preach much to the army in the field, yet his incessant labors at home 
in prosecuting the war, had much to do in quelling the rebellion. 
He made balls, and others threw them ; he preached war-sermons 
at home that encouraged the soldiers to fight hard on the fields. 
And upon the fall of Richmond, and Lee's surrender — as the flag 
of the nation had been traitorously stricken down from the battle- 
ments of Fort Sumter, April 14, 1861 — as a fitting emblem 
of the nation's restored sovereignty, the same flag was again, by 
the direction of the Government, with appropriate religious and 
military ceremonies and rejoicings, unfurled over the same fort, 
on the same day of the same month, (1865); and Mr. Beecher was 
invited by the President and Secretary of War to deliver an ora- 
tion on the important occasion ; and, as he drew to a close in his 
speech, he uttered the following significant words : " From this 
pulpit of broken stones we speak forth our earnest greetings to 
all our land : we offer to the President of the United States our 
solemn congratulations that God has sustained his life and health 
under the unparalleled burdens and sufferings of four bloody 
years, and permitted him to behold this auspicious consummation 
of that national unity for which he has waited with so much 
patience and fortitude, and for which he has labored with such 
disinterested wisdom and self-denial." And scarcely had these 
memorable words of congratulation passed the lips of the patriotic 
orator, before the cruel assassin's ball had pierced the head of the 
noble President, and thus most suddenly turned the nation's 
highest joy into the deepest mourning. 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAK. 395 



DWIGHT L. MOODY. 

Power of Individual Efibrt — Earnestness the Secret of Success — A 
Great Want — The Church and the World Asleep — His Birth — 
Lay-preaching Encouraged — Paul's Great Success — Labor, Labor! — 
Moody's Early Religious Views — His Conversion — Joins the Con- 
gregationalists — Education Limited — His Labors Successful — A 
Great Worker in Sabbath Schools — Organized Mission Sunday School 
in Chicago — Its Growth — Started Prayer Meetings —Labors Blessed — 
Young Men's Christian Associations Begun — Daily Prayer Meeting — 
His Trust in God for a Living — No Salary — His Active Labors in 
the Army — His Zeal at the Battle of Fort Donelson — Goes to God 
for Direction — Efficient in Building — Calls to go Abroad — Crosses 
the Atlantic — Organized Daily Prayer Meeting in London — Labors 
in Sunday-School Conventions — Successful — Deeds, not Words, a True 
Sign of Principle — His Success as an Organizer ; as a Speaker ; as a 
Eevivalist — How he " Got up a Revival " — His Large Audiences in 
Chicago — His Popularity at Home — His Personal Influence over 
Others. 

IT is wonderful what good one man can do, when he sets him- 
self about it earnestly. Earnestness is the great secret of 
success. One devoted, earnest Christian will do more good than 
twenty of the common run. Why were such men as George 
AVhitefield, John Calvin, and John Wesley so eminently success- 
ful? It was because of their whole-hearted earnestness. Why 
was Paul more successful than other apostles ? Because " he 
labored more abundantly than they all." Whence Mr. Moody's 
great success ? According to his own words, it would seem to lay 
in his earnest, entire consecration to the Master's cause. Paul 
says, " Give thyself loholly to these things." Moody said, early 
in his Christian labors, " I have decided to give God all my time." 
Full, entire, unreserved consecration is the great lack of the 
church, and the great want of the world. One-half of the world 
and one-half of the church is more than half asleep all the time. 
The Lord says, " Awake, awake, put on thy strength." The 
power of earnestness is great. It is felt, not only in the additional 
good accomplished directly by it through the earnest individual, 
but also in the influence it exerts u]>on others. The very dght of 
an earnest man is stirring; and rousing. 



396 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

Dwiglit L. Moody was born in Northfield, Mass., February 5,' 
1837. He is, therefore, comparatively but a young man, and, 
with a beginning so fair, encouraging, and successful, he has 
every reason earnestly to go forward, continuing to give all his' 
time to God in winning souls to Christ. 

The church, it would seem, has just entered upon an age of 
lay - preaching ; and with the renowned lay -preacher Richard 
Weaver in the Old World, and with our distinguished lay-preachers 
in the New, crowned with so much success, the present prospects 
for more lay-labor are very encouraging. The Apostle Paul was 
a lay-preacher. He had no theological training nor ecclesiastical 
ordination, save the receiving of a new heart and a subdued will. 
Soon as he was put through "the washing of regeneration," he earn- 
estly cried, " Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" and filled and: 
fired with the Holy Ghost, he straightway went forth preaching 
Christ crucified ; and, with his deep, logical arguments and pow- 
erful, moving eloquence, he made kings and emperors tremble 
upon their thrones, and, for the salvation of the world and the: 
glory of God, accomplished a work second to no man on earth 
Then let the lay -preacher be encouraged. Let Zion arise, audi 
shake herself from the dust, until every remnant of latent power 
shall be fully developed and called forth to the most lively 
action. God says, " Go, labor in my vineyard." 

Born in the State of Massachusetts, the stronghold of Unitari- 
anism in the United States, Mr. Moody was brought up to that! 
doctrine, until his conversion, when he became a Congregationalist. , 
Of his parents we know nothing, and, with but a limited educa- 
tion, constrained by a Saviour's love, he has gone forth sowing 
precious seed, which, we believe, has produced an abundant: 
harvest, as history, and the following extract by J. F. B., fromi 
The National Sunday-School Teacher, edited by Rev. Dr. Eggleston 
of Ohicago, will clearly show : 

" Fourteen years ago, I met a young man, and was told he was 
a clerk in a wholesale boot and shoe house ; had recently come 
from Boston. He came into our school. Sabbath morning, seemed 
much interested, and talked of ivorl: Soon after, I met him, and 
learned that he had been visiting on the North Side, and had 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 397 

found great destitution. He said, 'I have promised to commence 
a Sabbath school there.' This was in the days when the ' Sands' 
were the ' Five Points ' of Chicago. A few weeks later, the ' North 
Market Hall Sabbath-School ' was an established fact. Similarity 
of work brought us often together ; and in ' an exchange/ when 
he came one evening to speak at our mission, I learned his early 
history. He came to Chicago, September, 1856, a young man, and 
a young Christian. He desired to work for God. He said, *■ I ap- 
plied to the superintendent of a mission Sunday-school for a class, 
(tliere were only three mission schools in the city ;) but I was told 
they had a full supply of teachers. I went to another school, and 
found twelve teachers and sixteen scholars. I was told if I would 
gather a class I might teach it.' The next Sabbath he came with 
eighteen boys. 

" Then he commenced the ' North Market Hall Mission School.' 
The old Market Hall was generally used for a dancing hall on 
Saturday nights ; and on Sabbath it took most of the forenoon to 
clean out the sawdust, and wash up the beer and tobacco filth. 
Here the school was held for over six years. The growth con- 
tinued until over one thousand were enrolled. Of the countless 
incidents, the encouragements and discouragements, we cannot 
speak ; but there was an auxiliary work, and another room. Find- 
ing it almost impossible to conduct a prayer meeting or Sabbath 
evening service in the hall, Mr. Moody rented a room used for a 
saloon ; boarded up the side windows, and seated it withunpainted 
>pine seats. It was small, (seating about two hundred;) it was dark, 
it was uuventilated ; it was necessary to have policemen to watch 
and guard the })lace during service. And here jMr. jMoody met 
those young men and women, night after night, year after year. 
But much more than this : here the blessed Lord met hardened 
sismers, and here his rich grace was abundantly given. This 
will doubtless fall under the notice of many a child of God, whose 
eyes will moisten, and heart grow warm, as they remember that 
these rude benches were a ' mercy -seat ' to them, and this rough 
room ' the gate of heaven.' 

" In 1863, the building on Illinois Street was erected. Its cost 
with the land was nearly twenty thousand dollars. It was all 



398 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

paid for. Here the work has gone forward, the school has not 
diminished, and here a church of three hundred souls has been 
gathered ; a few have joined by letter, but a very large projxn-- 
tion have been converted there. Of this church Mr. jVIoody is 
the leader. 

"The great work of God, during the winter of 1857-58, led 
to the formation, in January of the latter year, of the Young 
Men's Christian Association. It also led to the organization of 
a daily union prayer meeting. The latter was held in Metro- 
politan Hall, beginning in January, and was attended by many 
hundreds. In April the number had become small, and in May 
it was moved to the First Baptist Church, corner of La Salle and 
Washington Streets. It continued to decline in members, and was 
by the committee turned over to the Association, and removed to! 
the rooms on Randolph Street. Here it was maintained by a few! 
brethren, sometimes not more than three. Mr. Moody commencedl 
attending this meeting, and by his personal efforts it began to in 
crease, and soon the attendance averaged fifty, often being over| 
one hundred. About this time, Mr. Moody met the writer, and I 
said, ' I have decided to give God all my time.' He had at first 
given his evenings, an occasional day, and the Sabbath. I askedJ 
how he expected to live ? ' God will provide, if he wishes me to 
keep on ; and I will keep on until I am obliged to stop,' was his 
reply. From that day to this he has never had a salary from any 
individual or society. The breaking out of the war brought Mr. 
Moody into public notice. The devotional committee of the 
Association of which he was a member was made 'the Army 
Committee,' Mr. J. V. Farwell being added as chairman. The 
men, to fill the first call for seventy-five thousand, were so quickly 
off, that only a fragmentary effort could be made. But the first 
regiment of the three hundred thousand that encamped at Camp 
Douglas had not finished the shelter for their first night's rest 
when a part of that committee were on the ground, and an hour 
later a camp prayer-meeting was in progress. Over fifteen hun- 
dred of these meetings were held. Mr. Moody seemed almost 
ubiquitous. 

" The news of the battle of Fort Donelson came, and among 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. 399 

tlie first volunteers to go and succor the suiferers were Dr. Ilobert 
Patterson and Mr. Moody. He was at Shiloh, at Murfreesboro', 
with the army at Cleveland, and Chattanooga; he was one of the 
first to enter Richmond, ministering to friend and foe, following 
Christ. Though so often absent on duty, he seemed always at 
home ; his presence in the daily meeting was a felt necessity. 

" The Association rooms were then in the Methodist Episcopal 
Church block, small and overcrowded. The only place for pri- 
vate prayer was a dark closet. Coming from one of the meet- 
ings, two young men, with Mr. Moody, sat on the Clark Street 
stairs and consulted abont the Association. An hour later, they 
were in that closet at prayer. In a safe on Water Street is a 
paper signed by each, pledging continuous effort for a building. 
Plan after plan was formed and abandoned. One day a young 
man said, ' The only way to get a building is to elect Mr. INIoody 
president of the Association.' 

" In March following, he was elected. At the annual meeting 
a plan was submitted, the following spring the building was com- 
menced, and in September it was finished. For four years he 
was president, and then was chosen first vice-president only because 
he would no longer serve. During these years, his record has not 
only been national, but it has spread abroad. District, State, and 
national conventions have called him only too often from home. 
Twice he has crossed the Atlantic, and among his many efforts 
in Great Britain, he was permitted to organize the daily union 
prayer-meeting in London. 

" It is necessary to go back a step to bring up the Sunday- 
school work of Mr. Moody. Our State Sunday-school conventions 
had been much as others, but had never been sources of religious 
power. The seventh convention was to be held in Springfield. 
Mr. Moody presented the matter to several brethren in different 
])arts of the State, and in company with two from Chicago took 
the train Friday night, and arrived in Sj)ringfield Saturday morn- 
ing. The convention was to meet on Tuesday. Saturday was 
spent in visiting brethren there. On Sabbath afternoon, a great 
meeting was held, at which about seventy rose for prayei\s. Sab- 
bath evening, another; and on Monday, at 8 A. m., 4 P. M., and 



I 



400 CHRISTIANITY IN T il E WAK. 

ia the evening. God greatly blessed those meetings, and they 
were held three times a day, during the convention, with blessed 
results. Many were converted ; the delegates caught the fire, and 
the influence spread over the State. The conventions assumed 
new shape and power, until the last one, at Quiucy, was attended 
l)y over five thousand people. 

" Mr. Moody was president of the State Association during its 
eleventh year. His help at the conventions in many other States 
has often been sought. 

" The open-air meetings with the soldiers led to similar meet- 
ings on the streets during our State and county conventions. 
The results from one of these will illustrate one view of Mr. 
IVIoody's character. He had t^s'ice been invited to visit one of 
the counties in this State, but had been obliged to postpone his 
visit. Having a leisure week in summer, he sent word to some 
one of the pastors that he was coming, and took the next train. 

" Arriving, he called on- the pastor. Said he, ' I 'm sorry you 
have come; when we wrote you, all seemed fiiir for a revival; now 
all promise is gone,' He called on another ; he said, ' You might 
better have stayed at home; winter is the time; in summer 
])eople are too busy.' Mr. Moody persuaded a few of them to go 
with him to the corner of the public square. He tumbled a dry- 
goods box over from a store across the street, and began to speak. 
A crowd gathered, they listened — they wej^t. He invited all 
who wished to go, to a second meeting in the church near by. 
The church would not hold all who followed. Meetings were 
(ontinued. A gracious revival followed. The first pastor said, 
' I was mistaken ; the Lord knew when to send.' The second 
said, *I see, summer is just the time for a revival,' 

" Under Mr. Moody's leadership, such meetings have been held 
in dift'erent parts of the city. Some of our best workers have 
been converted there. The violent opj^osition of the enemy at the 
central meetings, held in the City Hall Square, led to a change 
<»f j)lace, and the Association lecture-room was chosen. This soon 
l)ecame too small ; and on the completion of our second building, 
meetings were held on Sabbath nights in Farwell Hall. 

" Mr. Moody has continued to speak at the Illinois Street 



CHKISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 401 

Church, Sabbath morning; to superhitcnd the Sabbath-school in 
the afternoon, and to speak in the hall in the evening. His 
audience there, now, averages eight hundred — oftentimes more ; 
mostly young men. Here, as everywhere, and always, his ser- 
vices are given, and God provides in his own way. 

" The friends who love him here, now insist that they have 
the privilege of replying for him, to invitations to labor out of 
the city, and securing a just acknowledgment of his services. 

" Even this hurried sketch would be incomplete did it not give 
some account of the estimation in which he is held at home. It 
is perhaps the best evidence, that he is gladly welcomed to most 
of the evangelical pulpits of the city. He is beloved by Sunday- 
school workers, and respected by all. That he has enemies and 
opposers is a necessity.' Such a positive life for Christ must 
develop the positive hostility of some. That this is often the 
result of wrong judgment, one illustration will show. 

" One day the writer was conversing with a prominent physi- 
cian about Mr. Moody, when the doctor avowed his dislike, in 
the most decided terms. Some months afterward, the same man 
called and said, ' I once told you how I disliked Mr. Moody. I 
now wish to say I have greatly changed my opinion.' Being- 
asked the cause, he said, ' 1 was called in to see a dying woman 
who had led a life of shame. She gave me her Avatch, jewels, and 
other property, and asked me to send them to her daughter, in a 
distant place. She died. I wrote the daughter. She came to 
the city, called, gave me her name and her husband's references, 
aud received the things. Finding her respectable and lady-like^ 
I asked her how she escaped. She said, " I was a little girl ; we 
lived on the North Side. I went to Mr. Moody's Sunday school, 
and he often went to my mother, and begged her to send me 
away to a place of safety ; and his earnest entreaties prevailed. I 
was sent. I owe it to him." The doctor added, ' This man must 
be a Christian, and I was wrong.' 

" In his home, with his wife, whose gentleness and love are 
among God's richest gifts to him, with the two dear children, 
Emma and Willie, he is as loving and tender as are his owu/ 
warm entreaties to sinners, 
26 



402 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

" Of his personal influence over others, I now only say It has 
been my privilege to know him fourteen years, to be associated 
with him in many efforts for the blessed Master. I have travelled, 
worked, eaten, slept, talked, studied, prayed, and wept with him, 
and the man who has most influenced my life, and, under God, led 
me to try and live for Him, is Dwight L. Moody." 

A man's principles and zeal in a cause are known by his acts. It 
matters very little how loud a profession he may make, unless he 
lives it out. Action, not profession — deeds, not words, constitute the 
only true sign of principle. " Even a child is known by his doingsP 
"By t\\Q\Y fruits ye shall know them." Woman's attachment to 
the Saviour is seen in her being "last at the cross and first at the 
tomb." Mr. INIoody's ardent patriotism and strong sympathy for 
the soldier is seen in his being one of the first to volunteer to go 
down and take care of the wounded at the battle of Fort Donel- 
son. His being among the first to enter fallen Richmond to 
dispense the blessings of the gospel, evinces the same worthy 
principle. 

As an organizer, Mr, Moody seems to excel. On May 10, 1864, 
he organized a very successful daily prayer meeting in the Second 
Presbyterian Church, of Nashville, Tenn., which was kept up until 
after the close of the war, and resulted in much good. This, toge- 
ther with the daily prayer meeting in London, the Sabbath schools, 
meetings, and prayer meetings in Chicago, in the army, and in 
other places, he has organized, attended with so much success, 
clearly prove his zeal, wisdom, tact, and success in this kind of 
work. 

As a speaker and a revivalist, we suppose, he has but few equals 
among the laity of this country. To be able, in the midst of 
summer, when there were no prospects of an awakening, by one 
short speech made at the corner of the street to collect a large, 
attentive, weeping audience, and thus " get up a revival," as they 
call it, proves an ability and genius for this kind of labor rarely 
excelled. And to be able to attract an audience of some eight or 
nine hundred every Sabbath in such a city of churches and dis- 
tinguished preachers as Chicago, denotes a power of attraction 
and eloquence very rarely attained by one of nothing but a 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 403 

common-school education. In looking over the reports of the 
Christian Commission, we find frequent references made to the 
labors of Mr. Moody among tlie soldiers, which we might here 
relate ; but, having given enough to answer our end, we close this 
sketch in the stirring words of Solomon : " Whatsoever thy hand 
findeth to do, do it with thy might." 



GARRETSON I. YOUNG. 

Solemn Warning — " Be Ye also Ready ! " — His Birth — Parents — 
Boyhood — Education — A Diligent Scholar — His Academical Course 
at Calcutta, Ohio — Enters Jefferson College — Graduates — His 
Habits — Taught High School — Studies and Practises Law — Elected 
Probate Judge — A Neat Bookkeeper — Marries — Early Religious 
Training — Read the Bible Daily — Joins the Episcopal Church — 
His Military Position — Labors in War Department — Resigns, and 
Returns Home — Purchased " The Buckeye State" — Edits it — His 
Success — Elected to the Ohio Legislature — His Character — Patri- 
otic—Winning Ways — Noble Traits — "He Made Friends Fast"— 
His Sudden Death — Impressive Scene at the Capitol ; and at his 
Home — His Funeral — Marked Honors Paid him by the Governor 
and State Legislature — Eulogies by the Members. 

SNATCHED away almost without a moment's warning, how 
solemn and impressive is the admonition to his relatives, to 
his friends, and to the Ohio State Legislature, " Be ye also 
ready ! " " Prepare to meet thy God ! " The entrance of death 
within the portals of the halls of legislation, most assuredly 
should deeply impress every reader with the certainty of the 
divine edict, " Dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return ! " 
Garretson I. Young was born of highly respected parents, at 
Young's Mills, in the Valley of Achor, Columbiana County, Ohio, 
June 28, 1827. His mother was brought up a Quaker; but 
for many years she has been a devotedly pious member of the 
Baptist Church. His father is noted for uprightness and uni- 
formity of character; and as an evidence of his good business 
qualifications and popularity at home, he was elected township 
clerk twenty-one years in succession. Being the only child. Gar- 



404 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

retson was the object of much kind and tender parental affection. 
He spent the days of his boyliood in the Achor district school. 
Born and brought up in the same neighborhood with myself, I 
have known him well from his childhood. The writer taught him 
to read, right, and cipher. Garretson was always a good boy, and 
the boy was father to the man. He went through the arithmeti{! 
( The Western Calculator) in three months, when he was only about 
ten years old; he was always a diligent student. The school was 
taught in a little old log school-house near the village of Achor. 
Although his father was a miller, Garretson never seemed to 
have much taste for that kind of business ; and having obtained 
a good district-school education, at the age of fourteen he com- 
menced a course of academical study in the High School at Cal- 
cutta, Ohio ; boarding with his aunt, Mrs. Hoffstot. Here he re- 
mained at school some four years, excepting a few months which 
he spent in teaching ; here he and I recited Greek and Latin to 
tS. W, Gilson, Esq., and enjoyed many seasons of pleasant memory ; 
here, too, Mr. Young formed the acquaintance of a large circle of 
interesting, worthy young ladies, whose society he often enjoye<l 
with much pleasure and profit, and with some of whom he whiled 
away the shades of many an evening. 

Having completed his academical course, he entered Jefferson 
College, Canonsburg, Pa., in the fall of 1846, where he soon 
made many warm friends, rose in standing and influence, and 
graduated with honor and distinction in 1848. In the college 
there were two large rival literary societies, with one of which 
almost every student in college was connected. Mr. Young be- 
longed to the Franklin Society, and, having been elected secretary 
of the same the last term of the year, he had the honor of offi- 
(ually signing the diplomas of the graduating class. Mr. Young 
Mas a very fine penman ; he excelled in pictorial penmanship, 
and I have always thought more of my college diploma because 
he wrote my name on it. As a student, he was diligent and 
methodical ; he had a time for study, and a time for every de- 
partment of business. Preferring the languages to mathematics, 
he excelled in the classics ; and, proficient as a scholar, he was 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 405 

selected by the faculty of the college to deliver an oration on 
commencement day. 

With his diplomas in his pocket, and bidding a long farewell 
to his friends at college, he hastened to see his beloved parents 
at their beautiful home in Achor. After a short rest, and 
having visited his friends at Calcutta, he engaged in teach- 
ing in the Cottage Hill Academy, Ellsworth, Ohio ; where he 
remained until the spring of 1849, when he commenced the study 
of law under Hon. S. W. Gilson, of Canfield, Ohio, and was ad- 
mitted to the bar in 1851, and at once entered into partnership 
and practised with his preceptor. 

Appreciated for his uprightness, and valued for his good 
judgment, in the fall of 1854, he was elected probate judge of 
Mahoning County ; and having given such general satisfaction, 
at the expiration of three years he was re-elected, and faith- 
fully discharged the duties of that important office for six years. 
Like his father before him. Judge Young had a fine tact for 
drawing up instruments of writing. Pleasing in his manners, 
order, exactness, and neatness were prominent traits in his char- 
acter. The records of his office while probate judge, said Judge 
Johnson, of Ohio, are " models of neatness." Mr. Young was a 
fine epistolary writer. His letters were always rich and spicy. 

Conscious that " it is not good that man should be alone," and 
having arrived to the mature age of nearly thirty years. Judge 
Young was married to Miss Susan Bingham, of Ellsworth, Ohio, 
on the 27th day of March, 1856. 

Blessed with the good example of a pious mother and an 
honest father, Mr. Young enjoyed a good, religious training. 
While at home, he usually attended the Baptist church, and sat 
under the faithful ministrations of the pious Rev. lieece Davis. 
While attending the academy at Calcutta, he attended the Presby- 
terian church, and sat under the able ministrations of the devoted 
Rev. William Reed ; here he attended the weekly prayer meeting 
and Sabbath school, in which he taught a class. While at college, 
he was surrounded by similar religious infliuences, and, although 
more exposed to temptation there, we never heard an evil thing 
of him. Being very deeply impressed with the doctrines of the 



406 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

Christian religion, and having a very high regard for the Bible, 
Mr. Young read three chapters in it daily during his student- 
life. At Canfield, where he studied and practised law, the same 
wholesome checks and restraints were thrown around him, all of 
which, blest of Heaven, finally resulted in an open profession of 
liis faith in the blessed Saviour. He united with the Protestant 
Episcopal Church in 1855, in which he continued an active, con- 
sistent member until his death. And says Dr. Brooke, of Can- 
field, " in the discharge of his religious duties, Mr. Young was 
as earnest and devoted as when engaged in his own private busi- 
ness, or that of a public character." 

At the breaking out of the rebellion, being in somewhat 
feeble health, instead of going to help to fight the battles of his 
couhtry upon the field, he accepted the appointment of judge 
advocate in one of the military departments, and made up his 
mind to serve his country in that way ; but before he had time 
to enter upon the duties thereof, he accepted the office of military 
secretary and aide-de-camp to Governor Tod, of Ohio, with the 
rank of colonel, and served in that caj)acity during the Governor's 
administration. Having enjoyed a short respite after the close 
of his arduous labors as secretary, he received and accepted an 
appointment in the War Department at Washington, and was 
placed upon duty by Secretary Stanton. Here, besides performing 
various other duties, he gave decisions in cases of claims against 
the Government, in cases of rebel prisoners seeking to renew their 
allegiance to the United States, and in cases where charges were 
preferred against military officers. He occupied this responsible 
and important position until tlie spring of 1868, when, upon the 
urgent request of his aged parents, he resigned, and returned io 
his beautiful " Hillside " home in New Lisbon, Ohio, which 
overlooks the lonely cemetery in which now sleeps the precious 
dust of his mortal remains. Thus rolled on, one after another, 
the important events of his life. 

In the following August he purchased The Buckeye State, 
one of the old county papers of his native county ; and, going 
at once into the editorial chair, he earnestly applied the genius, 
ability, and tact of his well-disciplined mind to make it a paper 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 407 

worthy of its new editor. And with his good sense, extensive 
knowledge of human nature, and general information, together 
with his easy, fluent, graphic, and forcible style of writing, he 
succeeded admirably. In a few months the reputation of the 
paper had improved so much, and the popularity of the new 
editor increased so rapidly that, in the fall of 1869, the people 
of his native county did him the honor of electing him a member 
of the State Legislature. This was a new era in Colonel Young's 
life. Though a lawyer by profession, and a judge by practice, he 
had never acted in the capacity of a legislator; yet, buoyant 
with hope, and eager to discharge every duty, at the meeting of 
the Legislature he answered to his name at the first calling of the 
roll ; and although, with few exceptions, he entered the walls of 
the Capitol at Columbus an entire stranger, yet with his genial, 
winning ways he soon formed many agreeable acquaintances, 
and made many warm friends. True, sincere, and honest, with 
engaging manners and fine colloquial powers, he was one who 
knew well how to make friends, and how to keep them ; in fact, 
warm friendship, stern integrity, pure morality, ardent patriotism, 
and a peculiar nobility of soul, were some of the leading traits of 
his noble character. Colonel Young, being of feeble health, labored 
under great disadvantages ; and yet true greatness does not con- 
sist in high intellectual attainments : it lies more in the heart, in 
self-denial, and moral heroism. And if you aualyze closely the 
character of Colonel Young, you will find that his great power 
and influence laid more in the goodness of his heart than in the 
brilliancy of his mind. In speaking upon this point, says his 
special friend, Hon. Mr. Williams, member of the Legislature 
from Fayette County, "Admirable as were his qualities of mind, 
it was, after all, more his qualities of heart that attracted and 
attached his fellow-men to him. No man had a higher sense of 
honor, or finer sensibilities, or exhibited more uniformly in daily 
life those accomplishments which mark the perfect gentleman. 
He seemed to have been gifted by nature, rather thau to have 
acquired by culture, in a prominent degree, those noble traits of 
heart that win and charm ; and inspired with confidence and 
respect all who came in contact with him. He made friends fast , 
and held them long.^^ 



408 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

HIS DEATH. 

Sudden and unexpected — it came ''as a thief in the night." 
Like a faithful soldier, he died at his post ; that is a great honor. 
Having dined with Mr. Adair, at the American Hotel, they 
walked in company to the Capitol. Upon ascending the steps, 
Colonel Young threw up blood, and complained of pain and 
oppression at the lungs. Growing worse, he intimated that he 
ought to return to the hotel, and suddenly beginning to feel very 
weak, he desired to lie down ; whereupon he was assisted into the 
Comptroller's office, and was at once waited upon by his intimate 
friends, who spared no pains for his comfort, and immediately 
sent for his old family physician. Dr. George W. Brooke, member 
of the House of Representatives from Mahoning County. Other 
physicians were brought at once, and everything possible was 
done, but all to no avail. Almost as soon as he was seated, " over 
a gallon of blood gushed from his mouth." This gave him a 
little relief, but he never spoke after entering the room. When 
Dr. Brooke, his old friend, approached him, he opened his eyes, 
but gave no other signs of recognition. His work was done — 
his time was out; and, with a few more throbbings of his kind, 
generous heart, " the wheel at the cistern stood still," and his 
noble soul, washed in a Saviour's blood, went from the exciting 
scenes of legislation to the peaceful abodes of the redeemed in 
heaven. The scene in the Capitol was deeply impressive. At first 
it partook of great excitement ; officials ran from their offices, 
members from the House and Senate Chamber, and, filled with 
consternation, large crowds rushed from the streets deeply anxious 
to know what had happened. The first response was, "Colonel 
Young is dying." And no sooner had this spread through the 
vast crowd, than came the more startling announcement, ^^ Colonel 
Young is dead ! " Deeply imjiressed witii reverence and awe, the 
people gathered round, and gazed upon the pale face of the de- 
parted patriot — the excitement dies away, and a deep feeling of 
sorrow and sadness settled down upon the Capitol, and all about it. 

But still more sorrowful and impressive was the reception 
of the sad news of his death at his late home in New Lisbon. 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 409 

Word had been received a day or two previous of Mr. Young's 
intention to spend the following Sabbath at home with his family: 
he was therefore anxiously looked for when the news of his 
dying reached New Lisbon. Almost immediately following the 
last flash, the next despatch announced that " Colonel Young is 
dead." How deep the impression, and sad the disajjpointment ! 
sorrow and sadness filled every heart ! How great the loss and 
severe the trial to the bereaved wife, the aged parents, and the dear 
little daughter ! And although the transition from sweet expec- 
tation to the keenest grief and deepest mourning was very sudden 
and unexpected — yet to the bereaved, in all such cases, Jesus 
says, " Let not your heart be troubled ; " " Weep not ; " " Be of 
good eheer,^^ because, for such " to die is gain," and " to depart is 
far better." The departed, instead of spending the anticipated 
Sabbath with his beloved family on earth, went, no doubt, to 
spend it with the blessed " family in heaven." Here, his friends 
weep and mourn his loss ; there, realizing his gain, he joins the 
ranks and sings the songs of the redeemed in glory. Here he 
sat in a legislator's chair, there he sits upon the throne of God. 

The remains of Colonel Young laid in state in the Governor's 
office, on Friday, from 8 to 10 o'clock, a. m., and arrived on the 
train, in charge of the escort, at New Lisbon, Saturday evening 
about 9 o'clock, and were immediately conveyed to his late resi- 
dence. There, on the following Sabbath, they were visited by 
hundreds of friends and a large concourse of people ; and at 2 
o'clock, p. M., the Rev. Dr. Vallandigham read in a very im- 
pressive manner the solemn funeral services of the Protestant 
Episcopal Church. The remains were then escorted to the ceme- 
tery by a large delegation of Free Masons and Odd Fellows, 
to both of which societies the deceased belonged. The funeral 
procession was unusually large and imposing. At the close of 
the burial services, the body was given in charge of the Masons, 
and buried with their usual forms and ceremonies. 

The House of Representatives unanimously passed resolutions 
expressing, in the strongest terms, their high appreciation of Mr. 
Young's " varied talents, his public and private worth, and of his 
exalted character as a Christian gentleman." We here insert a 



410 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 



few extracts from the speeches of the members of the General) 
Assembly of the State of Ohio, upon the solemn occasion of Mr. 
Young's death. 

Hon. JosiAH Thompson, of East Liverpool, his successor, 
said, in speaking of the responsible positions he had occupied: 
" He leaves a record of which his friends may well be proud ! 
But our friend has gone! Cut down in the meridian of the years 
ordinarily allotted to man — upon the threshold of usefulness, 
with a brilliant future before him. His kindly greeting will 
meet us not again ; and that place where he was more highly 
prized and will be more sadly missed — the domestic circle — - 
will see him and hear his voice no more forever. And, while we 
mourn for the dead, and sympathize with the surviving widow 
and relations, let us not forget our duty to mankind and to the 
State : kt us so conduct ourselves, not only through the remain- 
ing time of the present session of this General Assembly, but 
through life, that, when the Governor of the Universe shall sound 
the gavel which shall be the token for our departure, we shall 
leave behind us characters beautified with all the Christian vir- 
tues of our departed friend." 

Mr. CuRTiss, of Cuyahoga County, said : " Mr. Young's gentle 
spirit cast a halo of warmth and brightness around him continually. 
I can truthfully attest that I have never met with one whom I 
believed combined purer and more excellent elements of character 
than he. It is rare, indeed, sir, we meet men of finished culture, 
enlarged intelligence and firmness, who add to these qualities the 
finer and ennobling characteristics of virtue, truthfulness, and 
kindness of decided and marked types. But this was true of 
him. It can truly be said that he lived not within the sphere of 
self, but in the great interests of humanity. His moral vision was 
never dimmed by sordid or mercenary conceptions. Truth was 
ever his polar star, while mercy and justice lighted his pathway." 

Mr. Enochs, of Lawrence County, in speaking of Colonel 
Young, said : " He was true, kind, faithful, patient, honest, and 
brave. . . . With a disease at all times preying on the very vitals 
of his life ; standing, as he knew, on the verge of the grave ; 
yet cheerful and happy. Ordinary men would have sunk in its 



CHRISTIANITY IX THE WAR. . 411 

presence ; but when not prostrate, lie entered upon life each day 
seemingly as buoyant as though he had every prospect of a long 
life before him ; and at each step in life seemed to feel — 

' death, where is thy sting ! 
grave, where is thy victory ! ' " 

The Hon. S. W. Gilson says, in a letter, that "Judge Young 
was a close student and an excellent classical scholar, careful and 
attentive to business ; and, while with me as student and partner, 
he was an agreeable friend, a man of good moral character, of 
excellent habits, and worthy of the esteem of his companions and 

friends." He adds : 

"With these few words 
I say, friend of former years, farewell .' 
May'st thou rest with heroes and sages on 
The green banks of the river of Life ! Farewell! " 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

FAREWELL TO THE HOSPITAL. 

A Brief and Solemn Eeview — Number of Patients in Hospital — 
Average Daily and Total Mortality of the War — Inter- 
views WITH Soldiers — Chaplains much Exposed to Disease — 
Solemn to Part — Farewell to the Chesapeake ; to the 
Chapel; to the Matrons; to Hampton; to the Chaplains — 
Farewell to the Christian Soldiers — Appeal and Farewell 
to the Impenitent — Farewell to the Dead — The Great 
Christian Victory — The Rebellion Dissected — Source of the 
Victory — Munificent Gifts — Americans and Europeans Whet- 
ting One Another — Go Forward. 

OFFICERS AND Fellow -Soldiers: — The war is over! 
the eifusion of blood is stayed ! " the battle 's fought; the vic- 
tory won ! " and the country is saved ! The two mighty armies, so 
long engaged in fierce conflict, have disbanded, and gone home ! 
And the nation, just drenched in fraternal blood, again enjoys 
peace ; and the hospitals, for the last four years thronged with 
the sick, wounded, dying, and dead, are now closing out. And 
althouiih a few of us are still here linj>erin"i; around these old blood- 



412 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

stained wards, made sacred by the long, severe suffering and 
death of so many brave patriots, to nurse and take care of tho^c 
patients as yet unable to go home, we will all soon be discharged. 
As for me, being the last chaplain mustered in, I am the first 
mustered out. Having labored some fifteen months in this ex- 
tensive home of the sick and wounded, the honorable Secretarv 
of War drops me a little note, stating that "you are honorablv 
mustered out of the service of the United States ; your services 
being no longer needed." Hence we come, to-day, to bid you all 
an affectionate farewell. And now, in taking my leave, let us 
take a brief retrospect of the past. It makes a very solemn 
review. To recall the severe suffering and the immense mortality 
endured in these hospitals the past two years is very solemn and 
impressive. And 'when we begin to count numbers, the impres- 
sion is much deeper. The greatest number of patients in the 
hospital at any one time, was four thousand nine hundred and 
forty-eight on May 26, 1865. And during my labors here, which 
have been the hardest of my life, we have received and treated 
in this hospital some twenty-five thousand patients, some two 
thousand of whom are now in their graves. The greatest number 
of deaths on any one day was nineteen. Three hundred died 
during the month of August, 1864, in the Hampton division. 
The greatest number buried any one day, was twenty-nine. 
Others are passing away. The stream of death is still flowing. 
The kino; of terrors still reio-ns. Half a million have died in the 
war, with an average mortality of more than two hundred a day. 
Two hundred a day ! How impressive the fact ! how solemn 
the warning ! Take the world over, about seventy die every 
ininute, over four thousand every hour, and a generation every 
thirty-three years. We will all soon be in our graves. Time is 
short; eternity is just at hand. Oh, then, fellow-soldiers, let us 
now prepare for it. My intercourse with you has been very 
pleasant. To hear the soldier speak of the thrilling incidents 
of the war, the weary march, the heavy charge, the bloody 
fight, and the dreadful carnage, was deeply interesting ; but to 
hear them relate, with deep emotions and gushing tears, their 
religious experience, was far more interesting and refreshing. 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 413 

The simplicity, freeness, and frankness with which soldiers and 
officers have talked to us about these things, their wants, trials, 
temptations, etc., have always added much to the interest and 
profit of our interviews. They often became eloquent and pow- 
erful, because they spoke right out from the heart, telling us all 
about their sins, difficulties, sufferings, feelings, wants, and cares. 
Many a time have I gone away from the patient's bedside in- 
structed, encouraged, and refreshed. Although this work was 
very laborious, yet we deemed it a privilege. Constrained by a 
sense of duty to the soldier, to our country, and to God, we 
enjoyed it, notwithstanding our great exposure to contract dis- 
ease. Though it is very pleasant to go and see " the loved ones 
at home," yet we leave the suffering soldier, and these old halls, 
wliere we have so often knelt and prayed together and enjoyed 
such precious times of refreshing, with much sorrow and deep 
regret. It is very hard to get away. To pack up, and say fare- 
well, seems very difficult. To leave kind friends with whom we 
have been so long associated in our dreadful work, is peculiarlv 
trying. Yet it is a pleasing reflection to go home crowned with 
victory and a redeemed country, although it has cost the Union 
army the loss of over three hundred thousand lives, of whom 
over ninety thousand were killed in action or died of wounds. 
"Peace be to their ashes." May God abundantly bless and com- 
fort their bereaved, mourning friends ! Farewell, " Old Chesa- 
jjcake ! " thou whose ocean breeze has so often gladdened the 
heart and cheered the soul of many a suffering hero ! Farewell 
to thy historic walls, which, if they could but speak and record 
the agonies and sufferings, the patience, the dying groans, the 
fervent prayers, the bright conversions, and triumphant deaths 
of our departed heroes, 't would fill many volumes with most 
interesting matter. Farewell, ye widowed weeping wives and 
bereaved mothers, whose dear husbands and beloved sons have 
laid down their lives within these blood-stained walls in honor 
of the dear old flag, and for the salvation of the country. You 
have done your country a good service. May God richly reward 
you for your great sacrifices, and abundantly bless and comfort 
you in your sad bereavements. Farewell, ye self-denying matrons, 



414 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

who have so long stood pensive and watchful around the narrow 
couch of the sick, wounded, and dying soldier, who, by your tender, 
aifectionate, painstaking nursing, fervent prayers, and soothing 
sympathies, have ministered so much to the comfort of the dying, 
and have saved the lives of so many of our surviving soldiers 
and officers. You have done a noble work in the great strug- 
gle for national existence. Although you have not wielded the 
sword, fired the cannon, besieged cities, nor commanded armies; 
yet, doubtless, you have done more, perhaps, than some who did 
all these things, in quelling the rebellion and saving the country. 
Fare ye well ! The Lord reward you abundantly for your work 
and labor of love. Peace be with you ! 

Farewell, " Bethesdian Chapel," within whose walls we have 
enjoyed many a precious hour ; farewell, thou sacred place, 
endeared to thousands of soldiers and officers by the sweet songs 
of praise, the impressive sermon, the refreshing prayer and con- 
ference meeting, the soldiers' religious talk, earnest exhortation, 
and fervent prayers ! Long wilt thou be remembered with 
pleasing recollections, as the sacred spot where many a con- 
valescent soldier, officer, and chaplain enjoyed precious seasons 
of refreshing, and, doubtless, by many as the place where they 
first drew the breath of spiritual life. 

Farewell, " Old Hampton," with all thy thrilling scenes of 
suffering, blood, and death ; farewell, ye blood-.stained wards, 
into whose oblong barracks and snow-white tents the sick and 
\vounded have come and gone like the ocean's tide : though ye 
have been the scene of so much suffering, sorrow, and death, yet 
being the place where we have so often mingled our prayers, 
sympathies, and tears, with so many brave patriots, and being 
the battle-field where so many have, through grace, won the 
victory over the world, the flesh, and the devil, those old walks 
and wards, headquarters, and halls will ever be held in sor- 
rowful, yet affectionate remembrance ! Farewell, ye dingy 
dining -halls; whose rough tables and sombre walls, if they 
could but speak and record the solemn, impressive sermons, the 
interesting and refreshing prayer and conference meeting, the 
soldier's stirring, heart-gushing exhortation and importunate 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 415 

prayer, the liai)py religious experience, the sweet communions, 
and solemn vows, and frequent conversions, it too would form 
many volumes of most interesting and useful matter. 

Farewell, yc chaplains ! Though we have been long associated 
in our arduous work, to-day we separate ; and although the four 
divisions of the hospital are now merged into one ; and although 
the patients are now rapidly hurrying away by transfer, by dis- 
charge, and by death, yet your work is still great. The field is 
still great, white, ready to harvest ! God is still saying, " Thrust 
in the sickle, and reap." There are here yet many soldiers of 
the army, who are not soldiers of the cross. Some are nigh unto 
death, yet without hope ; others, almost Christians, like the 
trembling jailer, are anxiously inquiring what to do to be saved. 
They will require special attention, tender sympathy, faithful 
instruction, and earnest prayers. Many others, still careless and 
impenitent, should be faithfully instructed, tenderly warned, and 
earnestly besought to repent and come to Jesus. Let us en- 
deavor to remember that, although the war is over, and the 
rebellion quelled, it is still our duty to fight on even until death. 
Then suffer me, in bidding you an affectionate farewell, to say to 
you, in the language of Jesus, " Be thou faithful.'" Let us strive 
to meet around God's throne, where there will be no more war. 

We come now, fellow-soldiers, to bid you a long, affectionate 
farewell ! Our associations have been pleasant and agreeable, 
and, having so long endured the trials, hardships, and depriva- 
tions of hospital life, to separate seems very hard ; and although 
I leave you to-day, yet my prayers, my sympathies, and my 
heart will still be with you. Farewell, ye soldiers of the cross ! 
We have enjoyed many precious times of refreshing around the 
throne of grace in these old wards and halls ; but we will enjoy 
them here no longer : to-day we part, to meet no more in this 
world ; and, as we will no more mingle our prayers and praises on 
earth, oh, let us strive " to strike hands in heaven ! " Remember, 
brethren, that, although the war is over, and the country saved, 
and you will soon be discharged from the service, yet you still 
have rebellions to quell, battles to fight, and victories to win. 
Your great Captain's command is, still to fight, fight on, fight 



416 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAK. 

0!i till death, and you '11 receive tlie crown ! Doubtless, many 
of you have been converted in the army or in the hospital; the 
thrilling incidents of battle, and the melting scenes of hospital 
life, through grace, have led you to the cross. God has done 
great things for you. You owe him a debt of gratitude you can 
never pay. You have done much for the deliverance of your 
country, and for the salvation of souls ; but your work is not 
complete ; there is yet much work to be done, and, as you have 
enlisted in this service for life, let me entreat you, brethren, 
toil on, children of the living God, toil on ! As you go home, 
carry your religion with you ; keep the doctrines of the cross 
uppermost in your hearts, and let them shine bright in your 
lives. As you lay off the armor of your country, gird on afresh 
'' the whole armor of God," and let the Church at home see and 
feel the power of the religion of the army. May God abund- 
antly bless, comfort, and save you. And now we come to bid 
farewell to you, my impenitent friends ! And what shall I say 
to you ? what more can we say? what more can we do, than we;' 
have done ? My very heart bleeds for you ; my very soul longs 
for your salvation! And, oh, my dear soldiers, what shall we 
say more? We have given you many warnings; we have 
sounded in your ears tlie terrors of God's law ; in our exhorta- 
tions we have led you down to the depths of hell, and then led 
you up to the seraphic joys of heaven, and besought you by the 
thrilling scenes of Gethsemane and Calvary, and by the mercies 
of God, and by the love of Christ, to believe and be saved — and 
you still remain impenitent. Though you have proved your- 
selves loyal to your country, yet, with sorrow be it said, you are 
still disloyal to God ! You have fought well to put down rebel- 
lion against the Government, yet you still keep up rebellion 
against God in your hearts. And now, before I bid you a final 
farewell, allow me to warn and entreat you once more.' It is the 
last time. It is hard to give you up. How solemn and ini- 
})ressive the scene ! To see men, who have done so much to save 
their country, go home, and doing nothing to save their souls, 
seems hard. Here we have often met beneath the beautiful 
folds of that dear old flag, and heard many earnest prayers and 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 417 

impressive sermons ; but liere we all will meet no more forever. 
We will all soon go home ; the hospital will soon disband ; the 
last bugle will soon sound ; the last roll will soon be called, and 
these old wards, made sacred by the death of so many heroes, 
will soon be torn away ; and though we meet no more on earth, 
we will all meet at the judgment-seat of Christ, when the trump 
of God shall sound, when a final separation will take place 
between the loyal and disloyal to God. Then, once more we 
beseech you, repent, and look to Jesus ; let the thrilling scenes 
of Bethlehem, Gethsemane, and Calvary stir your souls and win 
your hearts ; yes, go to Calvary, and see the Lord of glory 
expiring upon the cross — Jesus dying that you might have 
eternal life. Follow him from the cross to the tomb, and from 
the tomb to the throne, and all to bring us to God. Oh, then, 
while standing by the graves of three thousand brave comrades 
who have sacrificed their lives for their country, we beseech you, 
give your hearts to God. Dear soldiers, farewell, farewell ! It 
is hard to leave you ; it is harder to leave you out of Christ. 
May the God of all grace have mercy upon and abundantly 
bless you all" ! And now, in taking leave of the living, my 
thoughts go and linger with the dead; and while walking amidst 
the soldiers' graves, we almost feel like saying farewell to their 
precious dust. Farewell, thou sacred spot, within whose slen- 
der walls sleep the mortal remains of thousands around whose 
lonely graves many a tear has been shed, many a prayer offered, 
and many a smitten heart has deeply throbbed with crushing 
grief. Farewell, ye patriotic dead, whose blood has stained many 
a battle-field, whose valor and courage have won many a victory, 
and whose daring deeds deserve to be written on leaves more 
durable than leaves of brass : let their names be enshrined in 
the memory and deejdy engraved upon the heart of every Amer- 
ican patriot; let monuments of marble rise to their honor, so 
that their heroic deeds may be handed down to the latest poster- 
ity. Farewell to their precious dust ! May God keep, guard, 
and protect it until the morning of the resurrection, when the 
voice of the archangel and the trump of God shall sound, and 
bid the scattered fragments of broken bones and amputated limbs 
27 



418 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

come together ; when those mortal bodies, sown in corruption, 
weakness, and dishonor, shall be raised in power, honor, and 
glory ; when the redeemed shall be caught up to meet the Lord 
in the air, and dwell forever with him in glory. 

THE GREAT CHRISTIAN VICTORY. 

With all the Christian efforts, preaching, praying, and pains- 
taking labor performed by the chaplain and the Christian and Sani- 
tary Commissions, to supply the wants and to save the soldier's 
soul, the grandest exhibition of Christianity in the war is the 
victory achieved in quelling the rebellion. Conceived in sin, 
and brought forth in iniquity, the rebellion was all wrong from 
beginning to end. If you dissect it, you will find it made up 
of sin, pride, selfishness, treachery, and treason. And the victory 
achieved in quelling it, is a victory of right over wrong, of truth 
over error, of liberty over slavery, and of loyalty over treason, i 
The history of the world affords many great and glorious victo- 
ries; but, for important results, few equal this. And although 
the earth did not quake, nor the rocks rend, nor the sun refuse to 
shine at its achievement ; yet, when viewed in all its great, far- 
reaching, and powerful effects upon the church, self-government, 
human progress, and Christian civilization throughout the world, 
it is for grandeur and glory the greatest victory since that achieved 
by the Son of God upon Mount Calvary or at the tomb of Joseph. 
And when we consider the length and severity of the conflict, the 
great sacrifice made in life, blood, and treasure in achieving it, 
carrying away over half a million of brave men, and filling the 
land wdth widovA's and orphans, and ridging it with soldiers' 
graves, the victory appears much greater. The restoration of 
peace after a four years' civil war that caused an average daily 
mortality of three hundred and sixty brave men, is no small 
blessing. How much soever is due to tlie bravery, military genius, 
and hard fighting of the army and navy, yet the great moral 
energy, strength, and power by which the rebellion was put down, 
is, doubtless, mainly due to the Christian principles of the loyal 
part of the nation. It was moral strength that saved the nation 
and freed the slave. And had we had less of it, the rebellion 



1 



CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 419 

might have destroyed the nation, and thus thwarted this great 
effort to maintain self-government in the world. Even while the 
fierce conflict was raging, when victory perched upon the rebel 
standard, monarchical Europe rejoiced, and European aristocracy 
were heard to say in derision, " There goes your model republic, 
knocked into splinters in the course of one man's life ! " And 
then, with our country struggling for life, and just ready to be 
wrapped in her winding-sheet, as those European aristocrats sup- 
posed, they stood ready to help our American traitors lay her in 
the grave. But thanks be to a kind Providence, our God-pro- 
tected republic, then unconscious of her strength, withstood the 
severe storm, and came out of the awful conflict v/ith her columns 
of constitutional liberty stronger than ever. And so great has 
[been our progress since, that, were it not for the old battle-fields, 
the maimed soldiers, their graves, and the mourning widows and 
orphans, you would scarcely know that there had been any war. 

The power and influence of Christianity in the war is seen 
not only in the great efforts made for the soldiers' salvation and 
spiritual instruction, but also in the munificent contributions 
made for their general relief and comfort. The Missionary 
Herald, quoting from Hartley's PhilanthropiG Results of the War 
in America, says that the total amount contributed for the aid 
and relief of the soldiers and their families during the war by the 
States, associations, and individuals, is $211,245,474 58, exclu- 
sive of the Government expenditures, and what was given for the 
freedmen and white refugees. 

It has been estimated that one-third of this large amount has 
been given by professing Christians, which, says the same author, 
is a great deal more than has been given by the entire church for 
the conversion of the world since the organization of the Govern- 
ment. These vast contributions show that how much soever the 
American people may be absorbed in bank-bills, that, in times of 
great emergencies, such as the salvation of the country, they are 
capable of great acts of sympathy, and of a noble generosity. 

Hitherto our republic has been on probation, and the great 
question of man's self-government was still undecided ; but now, 
having survived the tremendous shock of the rebellion, it may 



420 CHRISTIANITY IN THE WAR. 

be regarded as being forever settled. And now, with raih'oads and 
telegraphs spanning our continent, bringing the life and energy of 
the Far West in contact with the commerce, wealth, and talent 
of the Great East; and linked to the Old World with the ties of 
commerce, religion, literature, and telegraphic communications, 
making Americans whet Europeans, and Europeans whet Ame- 
ricans — the United States is to-day a terror to kings and queens, 
an example and a light to the world, and the emulation of the 
whole earth. 

Although sin abounds in our land ; yet, with slavery abol- 
ished, reconstruction completed, and with a railroad, commercial, 
educational, Sabbath-school, and Missionary enterprise unsur-^ 
passed in the history of the world, our future prospects are very 
bright and encouraging. How all-important, then, to wisely im- 
prove this victory ! Achieved at a cost so great, and involving 
interests so vast both to Church and State, the trust reposed in us 
as a nation is exceedingly great, and fraught with a responsibility ■ 
literally immense. 

Having thus renewed our strength, and been made more perfect'5 
through suffering, and having passed the Red Sea of our pro- 
gress and trials, in view of the great responsibility resting upon 
us, God, our past success, and the great work before us, bid us 
" Go forward ! " " Follow up the Victory ! " 



INDEX. 



A UCTIONEEIIING, Sabbath, broken up, 
A 16. 

A dying thief's prayer powerful, 34. 
Assurance, secret of, 48. 

A glorious attainment," 47. 
Arrival of patients, 89. 
An afiectionate kiss, soldier's, 91. 
Army and Navy Hymn-book used, 96, 102. 
" Always refreshing," 103. 
An Indian's reproof, 239. 
Appeal to the wounded in hospital, 105-7. 
Asking a mother's prayers, 108. 
Amos, Miss, matron, 119, 120. 
Americans and Europeans whetting one 

other, 420. 
Alexander, Mrs. Marv, the soldiers' friend, 

122 ; her death, 123. 
Armstrong, Robert, 109th U. S., prayer- 
ful ; "all is well;" happy death, 146-7. 
Andersonville Prison, cruelties, 151 ; trials 

in, 152 ; awful suffering, 153, 165 ; many 

died of grief, some went deranged, 153, 

270 ; church and school there now, 154. 
American Missionary Association, 154. 
Almost Christian, the, 155. 
Andersonville Hospital, 160; diet of, 160; 

"sick call," 161 ; sufferings in, 161, 162. 
Andersonville prayer-meeting, 103. 
Andersonville Cemetery, 169; the dead, 

169 ; their sufferings, 170 ; number, 171 ; 

inscription on gate, 172. 
Alexander, Reuben, 29th U. S., craving 

prayers, 207. 
A swearer brought to tears, 209. 
Aikin, Charles A., 4th Mass. Cav., anxious, 

happy, 254, 255. 
Author's praying with a dying rebel, 70. 

capture, 20, 69 ; loss by, 69. 

preaching daily to men on their 

death-beds, 98, 104, 105, 128, 132, 185, 

186, 18S, 246. 

cauvassing through the rain, 275. 

speech at the fall of Richmond, 



2S5. 



298. 



address at Lincoln's funeral, 295- 
Rocky Mountain letter; value of 



the Union, 62. 



Author's saving a lieutenant's life, 36. 

receiving letters of thanks, 114, 

115, 246, 247. 

BAPTISM of blood, country's, 15. 
Babcock, Elias, 10th N. Y., co. "B," 
wounded ; his heroic faith, ecstatic joy, 
dying words, 22, 23. 

Basil's prayer : " Give me any cross," Ac, 
37. 

Bowman, Moses, 15th W. Va. Vol., con- 
verted in the army ; began to pray on the 
field of battle ; " all is bright," 51, 56. 

Barnett, John H., 101st Pa. Vol., converted 
in the army ; his zeal, will, assurance, 
weeping farewell, 48, 49. 

" Biggest gun ever fired in America," 16. 

Brown's, Captain J. B., bravery at Fort 
Gray, 63. 

Beech, Colonel, requests preaching on the 
boat, 76. 

Bible-class, large, interesting, 19, 43, 81. 

Brown, Chaplain W. Y., U. S. A., 17. 

Baptized an officer at midnight, 41. 

" Brought to the point by wounds," 41. 

Battle of Plymouth, N. C, 63-68; casual- 
ties of, 68. 

Bible picked up and carried through the 
war, 70. 

Bread begged for prisoners, 76. 

Belle Isle Prison, cruelties of; fare, 78, 161, 
152. 

Butler, Major-General, 80, 307, 308. 

Barnes, General, Surgeon-General, U.S.A., 
84. 

Blake, Captain, 3d Pa. Heavy Art., 85. 

Brands plucked out of the fire, 89. 

Bush prayer-meetings, 1 02. 

Bontly, Miss J. E., matron, 120. 

" Bury me with them, when dead," 123. 

Blind exhortor, 130. 

Backslider, the, 136, 137, 138, 173. 

Bartsher, Henrj', 5Sth Pa. Vols., heart 
fixed: joyful death, 140-1. 

" P.ullcts for bread," 173. > 

Boat-load of Andersonville prisoners, 184. 

Bradley, Theodore, 7th Conn. Vol., con- 
verted in army, 185. 

421 



422 



INDEX. 



Burket, John S., 13th Ind. Cav., anxious, 
prayerful death, 186-6. 

Bullock, Wm. S., 89th N. Y. Vol., anxious, 
prayerful, doubts ; perseveres ; comfort- 
able, 188-9, 269. 

Bleeding to death, yet " resting on Christ 
sure," 194. 

'• Ball in your head not as bad as sin in 
yf>ur heart." 195. 

Boston, Jacob, 188th Pa. Vols., his creed, 
faith, assurance; happy; no fear, 199, 
200. 

Bomb-proof prayer-meetings, 209. 

Brown, Samuel S., 3d Ohio Cav., ready to 
go; his death. 213. 

Brown, R., 7th S. C, prayerful assurance; 
no fear, 217. 

Burnett, Edward, 118th N. T. Vol., con- 
verted in army, through sin, 224. 

Brown, Wm., 117th N. Y., submissive, 
strong faith, 231. 

Bingham, Rev. Mr., preached, 274. 

Bombardment of Fort Fisher, 288. 

Battle of Big Bethel, killed at, 301. 

Bull Run. killed at, 301. 

Ball's Bluff, killed at, 301. 

Wilson's Creek, killed at, 301. 

Pittsburg Landing, killed at, 302. 

South Mountain, killed at, 302, 

Williamsburg, killed at, 302. 

Antietam, killed at. 302. 

Fair Oaks, killed at, 302. 

Malvern Hill, killed at, 303. 

Cedar Mountain, killed at, 303. 

Second Bull Run, killed at, 303. 

Fredericksburg, killed at, 303. 

Corinth, killed at, 303. 

Stone River, killed at, 304. 

Chancellorsville, killed at, 304. 

Vicksburg, killed at, 304. 

Gettysburg, killed at, 30.5. 

Chattanooga, killed at, 305. 

Missionary Ridge, killed at, 305. 

Fort Wagner, killed at, 306. 

and Massacre at Fort Pillow, killed 

at, 306. 

of the Wilderness, killed at, 306. 

Spottsvlvania, killed at. 306. 

Cold Harbor, killed at, 307. 

Resaca, Ga., 307. 

Keneshaw Mountain, killed at, 308. 

Monoeacy, killed at. 308. 

Atlanta, "killed at. 308. 

• Opequan and Fisher's Hill, killed 



at, 309. 

of Franklin, Tenn.. killed at, 309. 

Nashville, Tenn., killed at, 309. 

Cedar Creek, killed at, 309-10. 

Averysboro, killed at, 310. 

Bentonsville. killed at, 310. 

Five Forks, killed at, 311. 

Hatchcr"s Run, Fort Stcadiuan, 311. 



Battles of Sherman's march to the sea,! 

308-9. 
Baker, Colonel, killed, 301 ; Captain Beirel I 

slew the perpetrator, 301. 
Burnside, General, succeeded McClellan, 

303-4. 
Byers, Emanuel, 116th Ohio Vol., anxious; 

prayed; delayed; converted; bled to 

death, 150. 193-4. 
Beecher, Henry Ward, 383, 394. 

nONNER, Smith A., 62d Ohio Vol., con- 

^ victed ; tries; dies, 197-8. 

Cleveland, Geo. E., 5th N. Y. Cav., pray- 
erful; his death, 205-6. 

Cortege, Phil., ISth U. S., discouraged; 
prayerful. 208. 

Converted in the army, through sin and 
profanity, 224. 

by a worldly man reading the 



Bible, 240. 
Curry, John, a converted Catholic; good 

boy; sufferings; death, 243. 
Church organized, 259. 
Church creed, 260, 276. 
Coblcy, Bennett J., 58th Pa. Vol., careless ; 

wept, 261-2. 
Converted Catholics join theUnion Church, 

261. 
Catholics turning Protestants, 268. 
Curtis, General, visit from, 278. 
Curtis, General N. M., 142d N. Y., 291. 
Craighead. Rev. Mr., Editor N. Y. Evan- 
gelist, 295. 
Christmas gift by General Sherman to 

President Lincoln, 310. 
Christmas dinner, 269, 270 ; four hundred 

turkeys : " huge feeding," 272. 

sermons, 269, 270, 272. 

concert, 271. 



Colored soldiers' prayer-meetings in new 

camp, 280-1. 
Captain Cameron's warm grasp ; death, 

117, 127, 330-1. 
Card-playing broken up, 209. 
Conversions in the army, 48, 49, 51, 62, 

184, 188, 241, 253, 265, 265, 276. 
Conversions in hospital, 41, 42, 28, 44, 45, 

187, 194, 197. 
Converted in hospital, 221, 223, 224, 239, 

267, 277. 

on picket, 97. 

by hearing the Bible read in hos- 



pital, 97. 

in battle, 179. 

on picket, by being talked to, 184-5. 



Curtis, Robert, 1st U. S., heroic courage; 

killed five rebels; hit another's throat; 

left for dead, 55, 56. 
Carlton quoted, 27. 
Chaplain McCabe, 55. 
Chidhnv, Ruv. B. W., 61. 



INDEX, 



423 



dnnnincrham, .Tas. A., Ofith Ohio Vol. ; "all 
is well ; " his death, 61-2. 

Chapin, Captain, S.5th N. Y. Vol., his he- 
roic bravery; fighting; mortally wound- 
ed, 65, 

Converted through a sifter's letters, 188. 

ICompher, Captain, Ifllst Pa. Vol., 67. 
Cuyler, John M., 79, 81. 
X?amp Distribution, preaching in, 80, 85, 86. 

iChapel, Bethesdian, jJreoious meetings in, 

> 80. 

Contraband Hospital, preached in, 83. 

Church, hospital, organized, 101, 259. 

Choice ot hymns, 104. 

Christ's " I would ; " your " Ye would 
not," 106. 

"Come just as you are," 107. 

Crane, Rev. Mr., 269. 

Canvassing the patients' hearts, 115. 

Campbell, Mrs., matron, 120. 

Carver, Mrs., 121-2. 

Creed, John, 23d 111., co. " B," brave, hon- 
ored, 133. 

Castle Thunder Prison, 152. 

Crisis of the soul, 155-8. 

of Andersonville, 158. 

Catholic priest prays with prisoners, 157. 

Crying peace in danger, 157. 

Chase, Henry W., 96th N. Y., anxious ; 
weeps ; sins great ; his conversion ; went 
home, 181-2. 

Christian Commission supplied reading 
matter, 20. 

delegates, 80, 96, 97, 190, 210, 279, 

282-6. 



a grand exhibition of Christianity 

in the war, 331. 

gave first cup of coifee to the wound- 



ed at battle of Wilderness, 332. 

its efficiency and contributions, 333. 

delegates highly esteemed, 333. 

saved lives and souls, 333. 



"God bless the Christian Commission," 333. 
Christian eft'ort among patients, 90. 
Corporal Cook, Vet. Keserves, 283. 
Craven, Doctor, medical director, 284. 

DEVIL outflanked, 16 ; and whipped, 285. 
Dixon, Chaplain, of 16th Conn. Vol., 

20, 63. 
Duncan, John B., wounded ; patient ; dying 

words; will; triumphant death, 21, 22. 
Draper, Edward, 45th U. S., conversion ; 

strong faith; no fear; "It is glorious," 

51, 52. 
Dashiel, Chaplain, weeps over a dying 

soldier, 26, 27. 
Doubts and fears removed ; joy restored, 38. 
Dving soldier's letter to his wife ; fare- 

'wcll, 39, 40. 
Dully, Mrs. Mary B., principal matron, 

4l", 81, 119. 



Drummer-boy's affection for his mother, 

57, 58. 
Davis, Jeff., flees Richmond, 78, 173, 292. 
Disappointed friends, wives, 89. 
Diagnosis, spiritual, of the hospital, 115. 
Duubting, distressed doctor relieved, 148-9. 
Dead-line, the, in Andersonville, 154. 

God's, 154. 

" Door was shut," 155. 

Departure of Andersonville prisoners, 166, 

167. 
" Died calling for the chaplain," 185-6, 229. 
Disappointed, bereaved wife, 187. 
Delling, Richard, 8th Maine Vol., brave, 

patriotic, anxious ; prays ; dies, 190, 191. 
"Delay is the devil's verb — now is God's 

time," 193. 
Deserter, condemned, refusing pardon, 193. 
Danger of delay, 193. 
Dohiri essential to enjoying, 253. 
Dunham, John H., 117th N. Y., rather 

careless ; trying ; death, 229, 230. 
Dickson, Hiram, 112th N. Y. Vol., longs 

for heaven, 248-9. 
Dinsmore, Rev. Mr., 279. 
Dedication of new hospital chapel, 286. 
Dodging bullets, 307. 
Death mighty ; there is a Mightier, 312. 
Deaths in rebel prisons, 312. 
Deserter, the, his crime and fate, 313-14. 
Dix, Miss, visits hospitals, erects soldiers' 

monuments, 322, 323. 
Distinguished Christian men in the war, 

334. 

EMANCIPATION Proclamation, effects 
of, 16. 
Eastman, Chaplain, rolled to the wound- 
ed and dying, 35, 36. 

carried to a dying oflicer, 36. 



Eloquence of the heart powerful, 101, 257. 
E.xecution of prisoners in Andersonville, 

156, 157. 
Exchange of Andersonville prisoners, 164. 
Extreme cruelty, 173. 
Eloqvience of freedmen, 282. 
Edwards, Jonathan, " lost and swallowed 

up in God," 248. 
Eternal progress in heaven, 249. 
Ellison, Jacob, 114th U. S., converted iu 
V camp, 253. 

E.xtracts from author's dinry, 256, 279. 
Ellsworth, Cc^pnel, his death, 300. 

FEE, Captain, co. " I," 48th N. Y., his 
character; wound; requests to be 
prayed for; his death, 32-35. 
Filial affection, strong, 67; unquenchable, 

58. 
Flusser, Lieutenant-Commander, brave, 

patriotic ; his death, 66. 
Fisher, David, 101st Pa. Vol., killed, 67. 



424 



INDEX. 



Frantz, Dr. J. II. A., Surgeon U. S. A., 
in charge, 82. 

Frederick, Geo., 15th N. J. Vol., prayer- 
ful ; faithful, 128, 130. 

Finny, James H., l.st N. Y. Engineers, 
"can't live without religion," 139, 140. 

Fi.^ed heart, the, 140. 

Farewell to Dixie, IfiS 

Ferguson, Henry, 39th III. Vol., his con ■ 
viction, conversion, 180-1. 

Father's dying message to his family, 199. 

Fort Fisher wounded, buoyant, patriotic, 
brave, 276, 287. 

bombarded, 288-290. 

Friendship of Jesus, 331. 

Farewell to the hospital, 411-418. 

and appeal to the impenitent sol- 
diers, 416, 417. 

Farragut, Admiral, 35.3-363. 

GRIFFITH'S, G. S., kindness; liberal 
gift, ir. 

Gangrene camp, suffering in, 87, 88; and 
triumphs of, 89. 

" Got used to death," 98. 

Guthrie, Rev. Dr., quoted, 133, 134. 

God's dead-line, 154. 

Grant, General, assumed co.Timand-in- 
chief, 306. 

his unyielding determination, 307- 

311. 

starts for Richmond, 127. 

crossed the Rapidan, 125. 

Greenough, Sergeant, dying ; dead, 330-1. 

Good music ; melodeon, 20. 

" Good-bye, old arm," a patriotic, weep- 
ing farewell, 57. 

" Get away, thou infernal spirit," 191. 

" Gdd's time — now," 193. 

Great sinners saved, 250. 

Gilbert, Geo. H., 34th Mass., careless, pro- 
fane, bad excuses, 200. 

" Going down to get up," 210. 

Great emergencies develop moral powers, 
211,212. 

Goff, John, 142d N. Y. Vol., interested; 
prayed; repented; died, 226-7. 

Good effects of a sermon, 256. 

Gurley, Rev. Dr. P. D., 334-342. 

HOLT, Mrs. D. W., hospital matron, 12*. 
Howard, General, bravery of his sol- 
diers, 134, 135. 

Heroic, unparalleled patriotism, 159, 160. 

Harfel, Philip, 51st Pa. Vol., saved by his 
wife, 183. 

Hugged the nurse when dying, 187. 

Hinkle, Charles A., 1 30th Ohio Vol., pray- 
erless : '• I will try," 206-7. 

Homesick for heaven, 246. 

Heaven, description of the joys of, 248-9. 

Hospital church organized, 259. 



Hospital wards, neatness of, 270. 

Hays, General, killed, 306. 

Hammond, Lieutenant, requests prayer; 

death, 330-1. 
Hero, a. saved by his wife, 183. 
Howard, 0. 0., General. 343-346. 
Hospital, General, U. S., Annapolis, 77; 

preaching in, 77, SO. 

General, U. S., Fortress Monroe, ? 



I 



Va., organization, 79. 

Chesapeake, 79, 81. 

library ; papers, 80, 287. 

General, U. S., Hampton, 81, 102. 



Henries, H. C, Chaplain, U. S. A., 77. 
Hospital garden, abundant crops, 84. 
Hospital hennery, useful, 85. 
Hampton Hospital, 81, 102, 178. 

TOHNSON, Edmund, 37th U. S., col- 

" ored ; prayerful, 252. 

James, Milas, 30th U. S., colored ; back- 
slider; penitent; patriotic; happy, 227-8. 

Jones, Peter, 36th U. S., happy ; per- 
severing ; shouting, 204. 

Jov, a source of moral strength, 135. 

Johnson, Wm. J., 142d N. Y. Vol., gen- 
teel, patient, brave, patriotic, 235. 

Jacob, old, the grave-digger, preposses- 
sing, devout, faithful, 237-8. 

Jones, John, 10th W. Va., patient, meek, 
humble, pious, happy, 241-2. 

KELLOGG, Major, the awful sight he 
saw, 174. 
Kissing the stake as he approached it, 218. 
Kneeland, Dwight, Signal Corps U. S. A., 
rather careless; prays ; repents; happy, 
229. 

LOVETT, Lewis, 2d TJ. S. colored troops, 
his heroic faith, assurance, patriotism ; 
how to be happy, 46-48. 

Longnecker, Lieutenant, fifi, 67, 69. 

Leghman, Colonel, 103d Pa. Vol., 19, 68, 
69. 

Left for dead, yet lived, 55. 

Libby prison, going to, 71, 72 ; reception, 
life in, 72; fare, 73, 151, 152. 

hospital, patients, 74; farewell to, 

75. 

Lambert's, .John, victorious death, 88. 

Letter-writing for patients, 107. 

Letters of death, 109. 

Last messages, 110. 

Letters from the bereaved at home to the 
chaplain, 110. — 1, The bereaved wife, 
110; 2, The bereaved brother, 112: 
3, The weeping widow, 112 ; 4, The 
dying soldier, 114; 5, A weejjing South- 
ern family, 114, 115. 

Letter from a bereaved wife, 132. 

Letters of a sister convert a brother, 188. 



INDEX. 



425 



Luoaa, Ilcnry, 39th 111. "Vol., ''putting it 
olf ; " delaying, 193. 

Lathrop, lloiiry Ay 8th Conn., "All i» 
well ; " victorious, 206. 

Little Lizzie's letter, 214 ; reply, 215. 

Largest interment any clay, 286. 

Lestur, John, 13Sth U.S. colored; brave, 
faithful, 218. 

Loaded and fired eight times during a 
charge, 218. 

Lord's Supper administered, 272. 

Lee's surrender, 284-5, 304-5, 311. 

Lyon, General, killed, 301-2. 

Lincoln, Abraham, his emancipation proc- 
lamation, 16; his character, 296-7; re- 
ligious life, faith, 298 ; reiuauguration, 
283; his death, 157; funeral, 285,295, 
299, 310. 

MURDOCK. Josiah, 4th U. S. colored, 
217 ; prayerful, 198. 

Morton, Charles A., 7th N. H., 215; anx- 
ious; prayed; converted, 216. 

Mullincup, Jacob, 13th Ind. Vol., anxious, 
skeptical, tries to pray, 222-3. 

McMaster, John, died, 259. 

Mortality increasing : twenty-six buried 
in one day, 264-5, 286. 

Moore, Colonel, 203d Pa. Vol., killed; 
brave, 291. 

Mansfield, Brigadier-Greneral, U. S. A., his 
death, 302. 

Moody, D. L., 395-403. 

Massacre at Fort Pillow, 306. 

McPhersoD, General James B., killed, 308. 

Mortality of the war, average daily and 
total, 412. 

Maximum mortality of hospital at Fort- 
ress Monroe, 412. 

Moral strength saved the nation, 418. 

Munificent contributions for the army and 
navy, 419. 

Marshall, Rev. Jas., U. S. A., 17, 30, 42, 
46, 80, 86, 87, 272, 279, 283, 284, 286, 295. 

sketches by, 326-331. 

turned a theatre into a religious 

meeting, 327-9. 

did great good in a short time, 329. 

stopped tiie soldiers swearing, 329. 

])rays with dying otficers, 329-30. 



Morris, Rev. Mr., 19. 

Merrill, Lieutenant F. L., 3d N. H., con- 
verted in hospital; baptism; his will; 
dying words, 40-42. 

Mays, Captain, 101st Pa. Vol., 64. 

Massacre at Plymouth, 69, 70. 

Mortimer, P. B., 103d Pa. Vol., mortally 
wounded ; resigned, 74. 

Jloore, John B., 1st Texas, hopes; suf- 
ferings ; death, 54, 55. 

Mother, affection for, 57, 58. 

Massachusetts 2d Heavy Artillery, 67, 68. 



McClcllan, Dr. Eli, U. S. A., Surgeon in 
charge, 81, 82, 84, 283-4, 294, 303. 

Military prison, 86. 

Moore, George, 188th Pa., a good boy, 97 ; 
refreshed, 102, 103, 261. 

Meeting God in the bushes, 103. 

Most powerful sermon, 103. 

Matrons in hospitals, 117. 

Meecham, Mrs., veteran matron, 121. 

Miller, Hutchinson, 29th Conn., his strong 
faith; creed; exhorts sinners, though 
blind, 130, 131. 

McElvain, Henry, 118th U. S. Vol., pray- 
ers ; conversion, 180. 

Montgomery, Ananias, 10th W. Va., ball 
in his head, God in his heart ; resigned ; 
death, 135-6. 

Midnight calls, 148. 

" Murder will out," 157. 

Martj'rdom, spirit of, 158. 

Moonlight prayer-meeting in Anderson- 
ville, 163. 

Mulford, Colonel, commissioner, 165. 

McClellan, General, 173, 317. 

Martin, Mr., delegate, Christian Commis- 
sion, 190. 

McGavern, Lawrence, 2d Pa. Heavy Art., 
wicked ; repents ; prays ; dies, 191-2. 

NO fear ; why ? " Because I put Jesus in 
front," 47, 117, 186. 

" None but Christ," 88, 141. 

Night-calls, 88. 

Nichols, Joseph P., 39th 111. Vol., prayer- 
less ; confesses ; prays ; dies, 178, 179. 

No venture in coming to Jesus, 191. 

Nichols, John, 29th Conn. Vol., (an In- 
dian), humane, backsliding, 238-9. 

Number of patients visited daily, 6, 269. 

National Cemetery, Fortress i\Ionroe, Va., 
prayers and tears in, 315, 316. 

who are the dead? 317. 

how did they die? 317; as they 

fought, 318. 

their dying words, 318, 319. 

the monument inscription, 320. 

a plea to guard and protect it, 321. 

its erection, 322. 

burying the dead, 323-4. 

National Cemeteries of U. S., different de- 
partments, 324-5. 

general summary of, 325-6. 



OAVNERSHIP in God. It is mutual — 
''The Lord is mine, and I am his," 206. 

PATRIOTISM, 25, 26, 28, 30, 40, 123, 
13.3, 218, 275, 309 ; " I came out to con- 
quer or die," 55, 57. 

in Andersonville, 158,159; undy- 



ing, 160. 



426 



INDEX. 



Patriotism, " we conquer, or die right 

here," 304-7. 
'• Put the bright side out to mother," 57. 
Philadelphia Inquirer quoted, 69. 
•• Past feeling," 124. 
Procrastination, evil of, 19.3. 
Prisoners in Andersonville, sufferings of, 

152-5, 101, 170-4; execution of, 15(5. 
Preaching to colored troops, 17. 

to patients, 16. 

Preached a Christmas sermon, 19. 

in rebel hospital, 70. 

on steamer, 76. 

Preaching by Col. A. W. Taylor, 19. 
by colored people, 19. 

in the military prisons, 4.3, 73, 87. 

Plymouth, strength of garrison, 19; at- 
tacked by rebels under General Hoke, 
63. 

consternation of citizens, 63 ; siege 

of, 64-70 ; surrender of, 68. 

Papers and tracts distributed, 87. 

Pride hinders in coming to Jesus, 110. 

Pivot of eternity, the, 155. 

Prisoners, Belle Isle, condition of, 75, 76. 

exchange of, 75. 

frozen to death, half-starved, 78. 

severe sutFering of, 170-4. 

Plan of salvation in a nutshell, 225. 
Payson's flood of glory rolling around 

him, 248. 

Preaching in the wards, 250. 

Plumb, Sergeant, 4th Mass. Cav.. 283. 

Porter, Admiral, bravery, 288, 317. 

Pennypacker, Col., 291. 

Preston, Lieutenant, and Porter. both killed 
in battle, 292. 

President Johnson, 294. 

Prayer-meetings, semi-weekly, large, in- 
teresting, 10, 80, 92, 273-6.' 

on voluntary principle, 94, 202, 265. 

powerful, 95-98. 

ward, 96. \ 

in the bushes, 102. 

melting, 258, 261. 

soldiers', lOO, 101. 

refreshing, 102, 257-9, 266. 

by moonlight, 163. 

in the dark. 281. 

bomb-proof, 210. 

Power of religion on the mind, heart, 56. 

prayer illustrated, 99, 100, 102, 130. 

preaching, 105. 

God's presence, 130. 

Christ's love, 232. 

Privilege of prayer, 189. 
Prayers, Soldiers' : 

"0 Jesus, save me just now," 45. 

'■ Oh. that I had ventured before," 190. 

'■ Jesus, come just now," 44, 

'■ Come and pray for us," 63. 

'' Lord, save, or I perish," 179. 



Prayers, Soldiers' : 

" Oh, chaplain, don't go away," 116. 

" Lord have mercj% " May God protect 
us," 152. 

" Oh, for God's sake, have mercy on 
me," 174. 

" Save me, save me, Jesus," 186. 

" I will pray till I die," 187. 

" Lord, have mercy on me ; cast me not 
off," 221. 
Prayer-hall, 94. 

Patchwork won't do for eternity, 125. 
Philips, John W., of Ohio, converted in 

hospital ; baptized sitting on his death- 
bed; death, 126-7. 
Pompey's heroic courage, 134. 
Palmer, John, 62d Ohio Vol., "too wicked 

to pray ; " " plunge for Jesus," 142-4. 
Praying for sport ; no fear of God, 195 ; 

with a ball in his head, 195. 
Praying Tom falls flat down, and prays 

right up, 281. 

RAWLINGS, Chaplain, 103d Pa. Vol., 
20 ; captured, 68. 
Rush, Dr., Surgeon U. S. V., skilful, 81, 

285. 
Ransom, C. M., Lieutenant, 98th N. Y. 

Vol., wounded; prays; shouts; dies, 

31, 32. 
Russell, Lieutenant, wounded, 63. 
Rebels prayed with, 70 : preached to, 49. 
Reading-room for soldiers, 81. 
Roe, E. P., Chaplain U. S. A., 82, 84, 94, 

90, 101, 121, 259, 265, 275, 282-5, 295, 

272, 285. 
Raymond, Chaplain Charles, U. S. A., 82, 

279, 282-4, 295. 
Rutherford's dying words, 88. 
Religious work at Hampton Hospital, 93. 
Revival, 98, 101, 102, 257-8, 273-6. 
Religious experience, soldiers' 101. 

conversation, important, 116, 184-5. 



Revenge knocked out bv a wound, 117. 

Roe, Mrs. Chaplain E. P., 120. 

Roman sentinel, the, 133 ; pattern of fidel- 
ity, 134. 

"Resting on Christ sure," 150. 

" Resist the devil, and he'll flee," 180. 

Rich soldier; no want, 197. 

Robins, Peter, 203d Pa., patient, heroic, 
pious, happy, 201. 

Reed, James, 188th Pa., interested, re- 
pented, prayed, converted, died, 223—4. 

RufiFner, Samuel, 110th Ohio Vol., warm- 
hearted, happy, 245-6. 

Reno, John L., 76th Pa. Vol., buoyant, 
brave, 263-4. 

Raising the colors higher, 277. 

Richmond fallen; unbounded rejoicing,283. 

Rebel barbarity; used Union soldiers' 
skulls for goblets, 301. 



INDEX. 



427 



! Roseorans, General, patriotic determina- 
tion, 304. 

SATAN whetting his sword, 15. 
Snowballs and flowers gathered at 
once, 16. 

Schneider, Edward M., 57th Mass., his he- 
roic patriotism ; immortal dying words: 
patience; will; death; grave, 25, 271. 

" Stand by the flag," 25. 

'■ Stand up for Jesus," 27. 

Sabliath-school, colored, flourishing, 20. 

Soldiers hungry for the gospel, 19. 

Slough of despond passed, 47. 

Sinner's unwillingness keeps him from 
Christ, 59, 60. 

Sinner's own fault, if lost, 60 ; urged to 
come, 60. 

Sailors drowned at Plymouth, fired on, 66. 

Soldiers' dying messages, 88 ; afl'cctionate 
kiss of. 91. 

Smith, Dr., Surgeon U. S. V., 91. 

Stuck fast on the Potomac, 93, 101. 

Seldiers' exhortations, eloquent, power- 
ful, 95. 

Sanitary Commission delegates, 97, 119. 

Soldier's throat shot oif, 127. 

Stanton. Harry, 118th N. Y. Vol., a 
backslider; miserable; confesses sor- 
row ; weeps, 137, 138. 

Shot dead for getting a drink of water, 154. 

Sin, unpardonable, 154. 

Spirit quenched, 155. 

Soldier's praying for mother, 108; "Ste- 
phen," 239. 

dj'ing words, messages, 117. 

frankness ; free to give their expe- 
rience, 116. 

fluent in religious eonvers,ation,117. 

colored, their implicit faith, 117. 

dying clinched in battle, 133. 



Smith, Wm. F., 7th Conn., tender; prayed ; 
died happy, 233. 

Simplicity of prayer; it is the heart that 
prays, 244. 

Soldiers talking Jesus to soldiers, 261. 

Small, John R., 37th N. Y., prayed with 
chaplain, 261. 

Soldiers' prayer and conference meeting, 
266-7. 

Sent for to pray with a rebel soldier, 267. 

Smith, Thomas, 32d Co. Veteran Reserve 
Corps, 278; his funeral, 278. 

Sanitary Commission, 282. 

Soldiers' entertainment, 283. 

Shells thrown at the rate of two hundred 
and forty per minute, 289. 

Stream of death ; first death in the war,300. 

Struggle of the Mass. 6th Regiment in Bal- 
timore, 300. 

Sheridan, P., General, bravery, 304, 309-10. 

Shaw, Colonel, 54th Mass., killed, 306. 

Sedgwick, General, killed, 307. 

Slavery abolished in United States, Janu- 
ary 31, 1865, 310. 

Schofiold, General, 310. 

Stockton. Rev. Dr., 332. 

Soldiers burnt to death in battle, 312. 
hung for loyalty, 312. 



Smith, Joseph, 38th U. S., prayerful, 181-2. 
Sherman, General, 175, 307-8, 310. 
Spanogle, Mahlon, 205th Pa. Vol., prayer- 
less; repents; dies happy, 187. 
Smith, Charles E., 14Sth N. Y., converted 

in army by a sister'.s letters, 188. 
Shawley, Michael, 20(Uh Pa. Vol., tender, 

prayerful, weeping, resigned ; happy 

death, 189, 190. 
Self the greatest hindrance, 197. 
'' Satan is often at my heels," 198. 
" Swimming to glory on the plank of free 

grace," 202. 
Smith, Joshua, 11th AV. Va.. prayerful; 

victorious. 202-3. 
Spaulding, Judson, 15th N. Y. Art., his 

faith, 203-4. 
Satan repulsed by prayer, 22 1 . 
'' Sticking to the point," 227. 
Steward, Lorenzo D., 11th .Maine Vol., 

anxious, hopeful, 231-2. 



Solemn review of the war, and hospital, 

411-12. 
Simpson, Bishop, 346-352. 
Stuart, Geo. II., 364-382. 
SoLniERs' Sayings and Dying Messages: 

The insatiable heart cries, " Give, give ! " 
23. 

'•I am in,])erfect peace; I want noth- 
ing," 24. 

" I saw Jesus waiting to receive me," 52. 

"Jesus is precious to me now," 49, 50, 
117,258. 

" Christ is very dear and precious," 53, 

" Jesus saved me twice," 128. 

"Jesus is all my trust," 130. 

"Jesus is close to my side, and I am 
happy," 218. 

"Jesus is all I want," 2.3, 24, 61. 

" Hurrah for Jesus," 46. 

" All is bright," 52, 146-7. 

"All is well; glory to God," 29, 50. 

" I have got the victory," 88. 

" He must pray," 216. 

"It's too late,'" 106. 

" I could not wait," 216. 

IncorrigiV)le sinner, the. 125, 126. 

" I will give you bullets for bread," 173. 

" I went to church cursing, and came 
away praying," 180. 

"I can't get religion," 181. 

" I can't pray," 206. 

" I have not found the Saviour yet," 
weeping, 182. 



428 



INDEX. 



Soldikhs' Sayings and Dying Messages: 
'■ I can't help but pray ; I go forward," 

182. 
" If I go to hell, I will go praying," 189. 
" I am ready to die," 186. 
" I want nothing," 266. 
" I have a firmer hold on God than on 

the devil," 191. 
" I'm guilty of everything but theft and 

murder," 191. 
"I am resting on Christ sure," and 

bleeding to death, 194. 
" I gave my heart to Jesus," 196. 
" I prays, and Satan goes away," 198. 
" I found Jesus," 207. 
"lam happy in the Lord; I would 

rather die," 199. 
" I pray much in battle, on the march, 

and everywhere," 202. 
" I would load and fire, and pray at the 

same time," 202. 
" I can afford to suffer," 20.3. 
" I rose at three, and shouted glorj' to 

God," cfec, 204. 
" I can't live without prayer," 205. 
"I have no fear," 217. 
" I feel the Lnrd is mine," 206. 
" I leave it all with the Lord," 208. 
" I prayed in the street," 216. 
"I love everybody," 217. 
"I trust in the Lord, and I am not 

afraid," 218. 
"I fear pain more than death," 218. 
" Tell them I am happy ; " dying words, 

187. 
" I have got it ! I have goi it ! glory to 

God," 221. 
" All is well," 2.36. 
" Hell seems to be gaping for me ; my 

sins, my sins," 222. 
"I have nothing to catch hold of — 

nothing to stand on," 225. 
" Oh, do lift me out," 225. 
'' My work is done," 229. 
" Thank God, thank God for my wound," 

227. 
" My wound has brought me nearer to 

God," 227. 
" I liked to jump out of bed when you 

preached," 227. 
"Oh, the love of Christ," 232. 
" It is easier to serve Satan," 232. 
"lam better in the army than at home," 

233. 
"The Bible better than greenbacks,"238. 
" Somehow it worked upon me," 240. 
"All is well," 242. 
"I will trust him till I die," 241. 
" I have no fear of death," 241. 
" God still sticks to me," 241. 
" chaplain, what will I do ? " 242. 
" I am on the devil's side," 244. 



Soldiers' Sayings and Dying Messages: 
" I try to pray, but can't make much 

out," 244. 
"Pray for me till I die; I feel happy 

in the Lord," 246. 
" I 'm too wicked to come to Jesus," 250. 
"I will try," 251. 
" God grabbed me into his heart at once," 

252. 
" I prayed on, and God changed my 

heart," 253. 
" I am the happiest man on earth. I 

mean it," 255. 
" The devil coaxed me off," 254. 
"How thankful I am for that sermon," 

256. 
" God has got me," 228. 
" chaplain, will you pray for me," 257. 
" Tell my wife I died happy in Christ," 

263. 
" I have found Jesus ; oh, he is so lovely," 

265. 
" My heart is all broken into pieces ; 

brethren, pray for me," 267. 
"They could only shout 'glory,' and 

died," 270. 
"I would give my arm and a hundred 

dollars, to quit swearing," 274. 
" I propose to tight it out on this line," 

307. 
" God got me to come into the army,"319. 

rpRESOUTHICK, Captain, fond of Bible 

-*- and prayers ; patriotic; his death, 30-1. 

Taylor, Colonel A. W., of 101st Pa. Vol., 
18, 19, 67, 70. 

Thanking God for wounds, 41. 

" The Dying Captain," by Chaplain Mar- 
shall, 42-46. 

Transferring patients north, 83, 89, 90, 92. 

" The last warning," 105, 106. 

Too wicked to pray, 142. 

Too late, 155. 

Tisdalc, Rev. Mr., 155. 

Track, Geo. H., 6th Conn., resolved to quit 
swearing, 185. 

The martyr's soul in flames offered to 
Christ, 199. 

Tustison, James, 10th Iowa Vol., patriotic, 
patient, happy; his death, 219-20. 

Testament, bloody, given up for mother, 49. 

Testaments distributed, 86. 

Testament read through thirty times dur- 
ing the war, 217. 

Testaments, five hundred, received one 
day, 261,' 293. 

The great Christian victory, 418, 420. 

The rebellion dissected, 418. 

Tilton, Benjamin R., prayerless, profane; 
pleads for mercy, 224-5. 

The rope of salvation, 225 ; grasped ; sin- 
ners saved, 226. 



I X D E X . 



429 



The snares of the devil and the cross of 
Christ contrasted, 233. 

The world's great want, 251. 

Talked a swearing man to tears of peni- 
tence, 268, 261. 

Thurston, Henry A., 152d N. Y. ; "I am 
going home," 263. 

The naked heart, 263. 

Tremendous cheering, rejoicing, 284-5. 

Terry, General A. II., 290-2, 310. 

Triune campaign, success of, 310. 

Total loss during the war, 312. 

Theatre turned into a religious meeting, 
327-9. 

YISITTXG the sick in the rain, 273. 
' Vanderkeiff, Dr., Assistant-Surgeon, 

U. S., 77. 
Voyage to New York, author's, 91. 
Victories on the field and in the hospital, 98. 
Value of a good letter, 107 ; the last letter, 

108. 
Vanloan, Geo. H., 3d N. Y. Cavalry, 

pious, 138. 
Vanwcrt, Edwin, 3d Mich. Vol., anxious ; 

wicked ; prays ; dies, 144, 145. 
Victory claimed by both armies, 306. 

WESSELS, General H. W., 19, 49, 64, 
68, 72. 

"Winslow, Elnor, 203d Pa. Vols., wounded ; 
earnest prayers ; longs to depart ; happy 
death, 28-30. 

What Christ is to the Christian, 37. 

Welsh, Rev. John, his wonderful prayer,52. 

Williams, Samuel, 104th Pa. Vol., long- 
ing for .Jesus ; feels his inability ; " Oh, 
if I only could ! " 59, 60. 

Words immortal, 25. 

" Whole-hearted faith ; " its efiects, 48. 

" World hollow," empty, 54. 

Wounded, Plymouth, visited, 70; preached 
to, 49 ; farewell to, 70. 

Weeping mother's trials, 92, 



Work hard, hut pleasant, 97. 

"We always came back refreshed," 102. 

Writing letters for the patients, 107. 

Women of the hospital, 118. 

Women's kindness and power to comfort, 

118. 
Worrell, Mrs. Jane M., matron, 120. 
Wolcott, Miss E., matron, 120. 
Wirz, Captain, 156, 157, 106, 170,172, 174-7. 
" What a feast ! " 165. 
Warner, J. S., 2d. N. Y. Cav., a weeping 

mother, 209. 
Winder, General G. H., his threats 174. 
Weekly, John, 4th U. S., prayerful; ready; 

no fear; assurance, 186. 
Williams, Dwight, 203d Pa., prayerful; 

resigned, 196. 
Wilson, Charles, 16th N. Y. Heavy Artil- 
lery, Christ his ; no want, 196-7. 
Ward, James, 81st N. Y., " Tell my family 

I am happy," 199. 
Welsh, Perry, 67th Ohio Vol., anxious; 

comfortable; steadfast, 202. 
Wertz, John, 23d Ohio, patient, with seven 

wounds, 203. 
Weed, Abraham, 58th Pa. Vol., anxious; 

fearful, 205. 
Warren, Thomas, 199th Pa. Vols., anx- 
ious; prayed; converted; happy, 221. 
Williams, Charles, 5th U. S., anxious; 

prayerful ; converted, 222. 
Wounds lead to prayer and conversions, 

221-2. 
AVeeping scene at the grave, 262. 
AVeek of prayer, 272. 

Washington's birthday celebrated, 279-80. 
Wolverton, Dr. A., Surgeon U. S. A., 279. 
Wadsworth, General, killed, 306. 
Weeping, bereaved father, 316 ; converse 

with the dead, 316. 
Weitzel, General, enters Richmond, 283, 

yOURS in death, 108. 
J- Young, Colonel G. I., 403-411. 



THE END. 



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